It hasn’t been long since we reported on sleepyhead’s first show back in March, but it is our first time reporting on a show in sleepyhead’s first full-fledged tour. “DRIPPING,” the tour held in lieu of sleepyhead’s first album release, made stops in Osaka and Nagoya before coming to a climax at Shibuya WWW-X in Tokyo on July 29, 2018.

When the lights in the venue went down, applause preceded clapping to the rhythm of the intro BGM. Girls and boys alike called Takeru’s name. Lasers crossed in artful patterns on a dark curtain lining the back of the stage. MY FORTUNE FADED opened the set, getting the audience jumping to the rhythm immediately. “Let’s go!” Takeru shouted into the mic before the next song, Yamikumo. Though there was no video projection for this show, laser art and lighting more than made up for it. Yamikumo was spelled in lasers on the back of the stage.

Takeru thanked everyone for coming to the final of sleepyhead’s first tour. “Everyone’s passion is way more than I expected!” he praised fans before launching into Meitei. Two dancers with black bunny masks joined the band on stage, and bassist Shin performed an impressive solo. The audience cheered loudly when the song came to an end.

The cheers became surprised shrieks at the next song – I Kyou U, originally a song from Takeru’s previous solo project Uwakimono. It was spiced up with a bass solo and a funky keyboard solo from Kaoru. Fans were in for an even bigger surprise when sleepyhead began to play HELLYEAH, also by Uwakimono.

Takeru took some time to talk to his fans about the journey of this tour. “I first started sleepyhead with no plan, but now I have confidence and resolve in what I’m doing,” he declared. The setlist took on a slightly somber feel for HOPELESS and HURT OF DELAY.

Most artists go backstage to make costume and hair changes, but sleepyhead does things a bit differently. During Nettaiya, Takeru sat on a chair placed on stage while an apron was draped around him. Hair salon L’wis owner Yusuke Tomonaga performed a live hairstyle change by slightly shortening the length, adding braids, and using lots of hairspray. The styling process finished exactly as Nettaiya came to an end. The end result was a bit Visual kei-esque, and the audience cheered with respect for the unique show.

The energy picked up for the rest of the set. “This is the last song! Do you know what that means? Let it all out!” Takeru told the audience before launching into Kyouen Souzou. Before the final song, Takeru gave a heartfelt speech to the audience talking about his journey from sleepyhead’s beginnings to this current tour. “Let’s go on new adventures together – maybe even to the Statue of Liberty,” he told fans. ALIVE rounded off the set, fans and band members alike dancing and smiling. “The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” he delivered sleepyhead’s catchphrase before exiting the stage.

After shouts for an encore, the lights went out again and the lasers came back on. An instrumental version of Yamikumo played. Takeru was back in the salon chair with Yusuke Tomonaga at his side – this time to deliver a complete image change. Takeru shortened his hair dramatically, and when Yusuke finished his work, the audience was greeted with a cleaner, poppier version of Takeru. “I want to live my life on stage!” he explained.

The band played Kekkyoku, and then Takeru introduced sleepyhead’s members: Yuya on drums, Shin on bass, and Kaoru on keyboard/manipulator. Without Kaoru’s keyboard and manipulating skills, Takeru explained, sleepyhead couldn’t have happened.

The second encore song, titled Kachoufuugetsu, had an interesting concept. The song wasn’t completely finished, Takeru explained. The melody was more or less complete, but there were no lyrics besides “la la la.” It was literally a song he created with fans, he claimed. So the audience sang along with Takeru, following the melody.

Next, Takeru made some announcements, including sleepyhead’s first EP release on October 17, NIGHTMARE SWAP. A one-man tour will follow in late October. He finished the encore with an audience request – another round of Kyouen Souzou. Audiences waved towels in the chorus.

Just when the audience thought the show was over, the band came back one last time for a max tension round of Meitei. The show ended with fans and band alike smiling, looking forward to what sleepyhead has to show next.

July 7 is a date to note in your Japanese calendars; it’s the holiday called Tanabata. It’s based on a traditional story (which we won’t go into detail here), but in essence, it’s a holiday in which wishes are hung on branches of young bamboo, and lovers, friends, and family hope that two celestial lovers can meet in the night sky. vistlip has transposed this concept onto the relationship between band and fans. While bands like LUNA SEA and A9 have Christmas lives, vistlip has an annual Tanabata live in which fans can be sure they can meet vistlip.

So on July 7, 2018, fans packed into Zepp Tokyo. This year’s Tanabata live was special in that it marked the band’s 11th anniversary. That gave this show the title, “Seventh Eleven.” Haha, that sounds like 7-11, the convenience store! You may be thinking. Yes, that was on purpose. When the lights went down, a remix of “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees (7-11’s theme song in Japan) played in the background. Fans applauded the humorous and creative entrance of the members dressed in their artist photo outfits.

Fireworks set off the mood (literally) as the first song, Jack, began. Fans waved their hands in rhythm. White and yellow lights created a bright mood. Sara provided a heavier contrast to the opening. Fans shouted at vocalist Tomo’s encouragement. Guitarist Yuh and bassist rui danced around the stage barefoot.

Tomo welcomed everyone to the “Seventh Eleven” show and asked everyone to help celebrate the band’s 11th anniversary. Yuh showed off his guitar technique in SINDRA while Umi lent his shouting vocals to the mood. The energy skyrocketed during My Second B-Day. Fans clapped and headbanged, and the band members constantly moved around the stage.

The second MC was more casual. Tomo started off by pointing to the Roman numerals “XI” written on the banner flanking the stage. “This says 11,” he informed the audience, who laughed in response. Yuh broke a nail playing guitar, so he used the MC time to clip his nails. Tomo scolded him for his behavior and changed the subject.

“We’re not using video footage during this show because I wanted it to feel like a real concert,” he explained. “So don’t say ‘I liked the old way better!’” He also thanked the fans that showed up to the show. “Unfortunately, this show isn’t sold out, but there are about 2,000 fans in here. Venue staff told me that it’s becoming rare for one band to draw in that many fans for one show, so thanks.”

“This next song is one I wrote when I was young, so it might seem a little wimpy,” Tomo explained. Now he’s more confident – in both himself and in vistlip’s identity. That confidence attracts love, he claims, and so the band played Yoru to return that love to fans. For Mob Character, Tomo asked fans to make a circle mosh with Umi standing in the middle of the crowd. While Umi made his way back to the stage, fans enjoyed a drum session by Tohya.

Golden streamers showered the audience during Hameln. HEART ch. and GLOSTER IMAGE brought out the band’s heavy side, with Umi once again lending his shouting and screaming vocals to the background. The set closed out with LION HEART.

During the first encore, the band made a number of announcements. One was that vistlip’s character would finally be made into a plushie and sold as band merch. The character doesn’t have a name, so they may accept votes for names. The second announcement was their series of two-man shows with A9 this fall. When fans cheered, Tomo said, “Don’t sound so happy!”

The first encore kicked off with – OZONE and Idea. Then came another MC. Tomo thanked fans once more for making it tonight. He explained that they hold to their promise of having a Tanabata show every year, so it’s easy for fans to plan ahead for it and make sure they can go. He was a bit sad that some fans couldn’t make it, especially with the show being on a Saturday. This was due in part to torrential downpours that hit Western Japan and caused fatal landslides and flooding. Because of this, transport became difficult. He asked fans that were able to make it today to tell their friends in affected areas that today’s show was fun.

That led in to July VIIth [Re:birth]. Tomo talked about how long 11 years felt, and how hard it is to be in the music industry lately. He said the band is doing a lot of thinking about what to do from here on out, and they’re working really hard. He asked for fans’ continued support, and for everyone to join as one in a jump to end the show.

Fans started to trickle out, but the members came back for a surprise second encore. “You’re going home already? We want to keep playing!” Fans ran back in to jump and dance to FIVE BARKIN’ ANIMALS. Aya and Under World made a crazy ending to the set, and so vistlip’s “Seventh Eleven” show came to an end.

This May, fans of Kyo (DIR EN GREY, sukekiyo) had a rare peek into Kyo’s mind and collective works. Between his work as a vocalist in DIR EN GREY and sukekiyo; his fashion brands MADARANINGEN and DUMMY; his family of characters, The Zemeckises; and his poetry and photobook collections, it’s a wonder the artist has any free time at all. Still, he carved out some time to prepare an exhibit of his current works, titled “shikyuu de miru nou haisetsu.” It roughly translates to something like, “brain excretions seen from the uterus.” It’s a pretty gruesome name, but it shouldn’t surprise long-time fans.

The exhibit began on the sixth floor of Shibuya Le Deco, a multi-story gallery space in downtown Tokyo. While fans waited for doors to open, live footage from DIR EN GREY and sukekiyo performances were projected onto one of the walls. A large doll that could be straight from Alice in Wonderland—used previously as a prop in sukekiyo shows—rested against the wall by the screen. In another corner was the stamp pad that fans could use to add another stamp to their Kyo stamp book.

The fifth floor of Le Deco was dedicated to a preview of Kyo’s new photo book, Shikkaku ni (which you can preorder on Kyo’s official site here). Fans pushed their way past a red plastic curtain to a room in complete darkness. A staff member was on standby to hand fans flashlights. Fans walked through the room, shining their flashlights to reveal a series of portraits of Kyo – some with a dominating, monochrome color scheme, some with grotesque makeup, and some with vivid colors. Eerie background music made it all the spookier. The main attraction was a square white stand. Upon closer inspection, you’d find a white mold of Kyo’s face floating in fake blood. A sign indicated that fans were allowed to touch the mold, though few were brave enough to do so.

On the fourth floor, fans could step into the world of The Zemeckises. This series of Kyo-designed characters was first announced in 2013, but not much is known about them aside from the fact that they make regular appearances on Kyo merchandise. The Zemeckises exhibit gave fans a much clearer picture of the characters’ personalities. The room was filled with 3D stands of characters, and the walls were lined with huge illustrations. In some, the little ghost Penyu would be throwing candy into the air. In others, he would be devouring a human limb. Other focal points included an illustration of two characters wearing a literal human suit, a 3D model of a large eye, and four small and tilted televisions that played a short animation of The Zemeckis characters.

The lower floors of the exhibit were dedicated to merchandise and a pop-up store of MADARANINGEN and DUMMY. Fans seized this rare chance to pre-order Shikkaku ni, try a gacha gacha vending machine for The Zemeckises merchandise, and more. The three main floors of the exhibit displayed not only Kyo’s artist talent and sense of aesthetic, but also a taste of whimsy and darkness.

sleepyhead, the solo project (and we mean solo) of Takeru (ex. SuG) has had fans in anticipation since its reveal in late January. Despite this being sleepyhead’s very first show, it managed to completely sell out TSUTAYA O-EAST in Shibuya with a capacity of over 1,300 people.

The stage set contained only the bare essentials: drums, a bass, a guitar, a manipulator booth, and a giant screen flanking the back of the stage. The lights went out and the screen portrayed a visual of a moon – a symbol that has been constant in sleepyhead’s development – that waxed into fullness. Blue lights focused on the audience as support members and a full dance team took the stage. Takeru took the stage last, clothed in black and silver, and incited mass cheering from the crowd.

The first track, Yamikumo, was a song that the audience was already familiar with thanks to its previous PV release. Dancers repeated the dance portrayed in the music video and all fans had their hands in the air, waving to the beat. Lasers tracked patterns like circles and crescent moons on the screen in the back and on the stage for an impressive visual performance.

“Though incomplete, I’ve made my return to the stage…in the end,” Takeru introduced the next song, Kekkyoku. The track’s lyrics were shown on the big screen, as well as a live feed of the current performance. Even fans that were standing in the back had a good opportunity to see what was going on.

“I won’t say, ‘I’m back.’ This is more of a, ‘Nice to meet you,'” Takeru started off one of his many revealing MC’s of the night. He thanked fans that waited for him to come back even though he never made any promises to come back in the first place. He talked about how he spent a lot of time just being unhappy, even though he knew somewhere in his heart that allowing himself to be that unhappy made him “the lamest” guy. So, he made the decision to be the happiest guy in the world. “Are you ready, Tokyo?” he rounded off the MC.

A female backup voice led into the next song, Meitei. SuG fans probably won’t be surprised by this statement, but the setlist over the next couple of songs (Meitei and Nettaiya) had a distinct hip hop and EDM feel, complete with backup dancers. Fans waved towels in the air for Nettaiya.

Takeru showed everyone a taste of his erotic side with WANT ME BACK. The frontman took up guitar, and two dancers with bunny ear masks flanked the left and right sides of the stage. A giant chain (pulled by two male dancers behind the stage) kept them from reaching Takeru directly no matter how hard they tried to get to him. With a rock and roll drumroll outro, the dancers fell to the floor.

“I’m more of a pervert than you thought, huh?” he said in his next MC. “Each [of the bunnies] have names, too: Love and Lust.” He changed the subject a bit and began talking about the significance of the date, March 17. He originally picked the day because it was a Saturday; it was only after the fact that he realized it was also the day of a new moon. He also noticed that one day prior, 11 years ago (March 16, 2007), at that very venue, was where SuG had their first solo show with their final lineup. He had taken his first real step as Takeru of SuG, and now he wanted to take his first step on this new journey.

“A lot happened over the past 6 months,” he said. He had no hopes and felt like he couldn’t do anything. But then he decided to start taking responsibility for how he felt and what he did and this was the result. If you’ve been following Takeru on Twitter, you’ll know he’s been pretty open and revealing about the process of starting up a solo project in the purest sense of the word – completely on his own (albeit with the generous help of many friends).

This turned out to be an emotional segue into a song he wrote to describe how he felt at that time, HOPELESS. The somber, ballad-like mood continued into HURT OF DELAY before the dramatic change to EDM/hip hop in Ato no Matsuri de. Takeru showed off his DJ skills and the dance team showed off their impressive choreography in Taikouteki Shinka. LAID BACK and Kyouen Souzou rounded off the set with smoke columns and the full dance team returning to the stage.

The members returned for the encore in sleepyhead T-shirts. He introduced the support members that joined him that day (Yuuya on drums, Shin on bass, and Kaoru on keyboard and manipulator). Before the encore began, Takeru reiterated to the crowd that the 10 years he spent with his best friends in SuG were extremely important to him, but also that he wanted to create something new together with fans and asked for their support.

Two songs (Meitei and Nettaiya) were repeated in the encore, albeit with more energy. Before the last song, Takeru delivered his most emotional and tearful MC. He opened up about how painful the end of his previous band was and how hard it was to move on and start over again. But he said that experience taught him that it was because of the pain of losing something that important that he was able to start up again. He wanted fans to not give up, no matter how painful or hard things get. A lot of people helped him get to this point, and he felt like he hadn’t been able to properly thank them. He thanked everyone for helping him to grow not only as a musician, but also as a human being.

The ballad-like feel of the last song, ALIVE, developed into a mix of EDM with a rock-sounding chorus. The lyrics on the screen talked about turning pain into hope. The song ended with a bright spotlight on Takeru. “Everyone, the moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” he whispered, bringing the show to a close. The members left the stage and the words “see you next dream” appeared on the screen before fading away.

On November 23, 2017, Ken (L’Arc-en-Ciel) hosted Day 2 his second annual “PARTY ZOO.” On Day 1, various artists played as a series of exciting session bands. On Day 2, bands in connection with Ken played an event show.

The lineup for this year’s PARTY ZOO included A9, BAROQUE, Ken with Naughty stars (a special session band), MUCC, and sukekiyo; at the end, everyone would gather to perform the event’s theme song “PARTY ZOO SONG.” This event hosted by one of Japan’s most legendary guitarists featured a wide variety of bands that allowed fans to perhaps see something they’re not used to.

A9

A9 kicked off PARTY ZOO 2017. Fans cheered as each member took the stage. The bright and melodious “the beautiful name” started off their set and had fans clapping to the beat. The crowd got even more excited for the A9 classic “RAINBOWS.”

“PENDULUM” and “Zouka no Daishou” followed, and then vocalist Show delivered his first MC of the night. He welcomed fans to PARTY ZOO 2017. He said this was A9’s second time playing at the event, but he was a bit worried about being invited to this year’s party. At last year’s event, apparently guitarist Hiroto asked everyone “Are you wearing panties?” when handed the mic. Despite that embarrassing event, A9 was grateful to hear they were invited this year as well.

Next, they had a treat for the audience: running with a theme of “songs from our youth,” A9 launched into a medley of L’Arc-en-Ciel tunes. They gave their own flavor and vocal color to “Shinshoku -lose control-“, “Kasou“, and “HONEY“. Everyone—not just A9 fans—got into the rhythm.

During “UNDEAD PARTY,” Ken himself made an appearance. Along with drummer Nao (wearing sunglasses), they played A9’s party song together. Before the last song “MEMENTO,” A9 had one final announcement: their next release was to be produced by none other than Ken. With that happy announcement, they rounded off their set.

BAROQUE

Next, BAROQUE took their stage in their simple black and white costumes. The screens lining the back of the stage—which had not been in use for A9—depicted poppy images of stars and eyes. They began their set with “SKY FITS HEAVEN” and “DREAMSCAPE.” Fans clapped and held up white light sticks, transforming the floor into a field of stars.

“We’re BAROQUE,” vocalist Ryo introduced themselves. They expressed their gratitude that they were invited to PARTY ZOO for the second year in a row, since last year was a lot of fun. They continued on with the slow, ballad-like tunes of “Nanzen Nanman Nanoku no Kimi e no Omoi,” “MEMENTO,” and “Y O U.” Fans showed off their dancing skills for “PLANETARY LIGHT,” and even did a little jumping as well.

Ryo went backstage for a moment and returned with a bouquet of flowers.
Once again, both Ryo and guitarist Kei expressed their thanks to Ken for inviting them to this event. “This next song is precious to us,” they said, because Ken had produced the song for them. And so they played “G I R L,” with the lyrics (in both English and Japanese) trailing across the screens on stage. When their set came to an end, Ryo threw the bouquet into the audience.

Ken with Naughty stars

Following the theme of “PARTY ZOO,” the next group was introduced by CG animals flashing across the screens and animal noises playing in the background.

The venue darkened and Ken with Naughty stars took the stage. A9’s Tora took guitar, A9’s Saga was on bass, A9’s Nao was on drums, and sukekiyo’s Takumi was on keyboard and guitar. Of course, Ken was on guitar and vocals.

Ken’s session started off with a cover of Hiromi Go’s “2oku 4senman no Hitomi.” Ken was on vocals, dancing along as well. Most of the support members all wore animal-print PARTY ZOO shirts, matching perfectly with Ken’s leopard-print suit.

Next, Ken performed L’Arc-en-Ciel’s own “LOVE FLIES,” the audience excitedly cheering along. He also did an impressive rendition of Coldplay’s “Clocks” (all in English!). Finally, with Takumi’s synthesizer intro, the band launched into a cover of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” Ken’s guitar solo showed the audience why exactly he is considered one of Japan’s best guitarists.

MUCC

With MUCC’s set, the venue became swelteringly hot. The voices of fans were deafening as the members took the stage. Frontman Tatsuro, all in white, took an elegant bow before beginning their set. They kicked off with “Suiren,” a song that gave the audience plenty of chances to jump, mosh, and headbang (especially during the heavy breakdown).

The pace picked up in “Zettai Zetsumei,” and the audience clapped and danced along to “Himitsu.” Ken played along with the band for “Wasurenagusa.”

“That was Ken,” Tatsuro jokingly introduced. He introduced MUCC to fans who may have been seeing them for the first time, and said the band was grateful they were invited back to PARTY ZOO this year.

“Heide” and “ENDER ENDER” followed, getting the crowd even more wild. Tatsuro made another MC: “You’re not allowed to talk for the next band (sukekiyo), so you need to let it all out now and cleanse your hearts,” he said to the laughing audience. And let it out they did; for the next song “Ranchuu,” the entire crowd jumped in unison at drummer SATOchi’s direction. They ended their set on a bright note with “TONIGHT.”

sukekiyo

sukekiyo—at PARTY ZOO for the first time—gave the audience a taste of something entirely different. Just as Tatsuro said, the entire audience watched the set motionless and in silence. The band used hardly any light in their set save for a strobe light that continuously flashed for the first three songs “leather field,” “shiryou no ariana,” and “saredo michizure.” The effect made it seem like you were watching something animated every time the members moved. With the different vocal effects and instrumental effects used in each song, the audience came to understand sukekiyo’s unique and technical taste.

For the slightly poppy “en,” the music video played in the background. kyo’s vocals were the focal point for tracks “mama” and “anima.” The mysterious and wild “naburi” rounded off their set, without so much as a greeting from the band.

PARTY ZOO SONG

At the end of the event, the members of all the bands that appeared in PARTY ZOO 2017 gathered on stage. “PARTY ZOO SONG,” specifically for this event, was performed by Tatsuro and Ryo on vocals; Ken, Miya, Kei, and Hiroto on guitar; YUKKE and Saga on bass; and SATOchi on drums. Ken also sang and played guitar. Those who weren’t holding instruments threw colorful balls into the audience, bringing the event to a very party-like end. Ken thanked everyone for coming and PARTY ZOO 2017 came to an end.

Deviloof, an Osaka-based metal band that has been active since late 2015, recently put out their first album “Devil’s Proof” after a long absence. To celebrate, they toured Japan in a tour titled “Revival and Destruction” – but for a very affordable price. They played two solo shows for absolutely no charge. The final leg of this tour took place in Tokyo’s cozy Ebisu club aim.

At most Visual kei shows, girls are definitely the majority of attendees. This was the complete opposite with Deviloof; one had to comb the crowd carefully to find any sign of a female. It makes sense when you consider Deviloof’s indesputably deathcore style. Fans echoed that hardcore spirit by making a lot of noise when the lights went out and the band took the stage. First drummer Hiroto; then bassist Daiki with his shock of red hair; guitarist Seiya followed quietly; Ray on vocals and guitar took his new position on stage; and finally frontman Keisuke walked to the center.

After the SE opening of Devil’s Proof, they kicked off the show with Lover. The crowd headbanged along with Keisuke’s wild screaming and technical guitar melodies. The vocalist’s black lipstick quickly became hopelessly smudged with his performance style. He called for a circle pit and the audience delivered. The small stage didn’t leave much room for the members to move anywhere except forward, to the audience’s delight.

ESCAPE followed, giving each member a chance to shine. Hiroto kept up with the demanding and speedy rhythm. We heard Keisuke’s deep vocals for the first time this night, and Seiya stunned the audience with a fast and technical guitar solo.

The audience hardly rested – whether headbanging, moshing, or jumping, they followed Keisuke and Daiki’s direction. The frontman quickly ditched his jacket in favor of a tanktop that showed off his extensive tattoos. He spit fake blood during Aishite Kudasai off their first mini-album, and Seiya displayed both his technical and songwriting abilities in the almost eerie guitar effects of syphilischancroidchlamydiaclervicitisprotozoaaids (say that five times fast).

Vocalist Keisuke delivered the first MC of the night. “We’re Deviloof!” he began. He also introduced the new member Ray, who immediately pointed out how smudged Keisuke’s lipstick had become. Keisuke talked a bit about the tour and promised the audience that more was coming in 2018, so everyone should look forward to it.

Ray joined on vocals for the next song, Return Of The Curse. His melodic voice offered both a nice companion and contrast for Keisuke’s own vocals and shouting. Deviloof rounded off their set with Taida no Tsumi, Egoist, and HERO=MURDER. Fans cheered and clapped as the band walked off stage.

Daiki returned to the stage to thank the audience and introduce some of the merchandise sold at the show. “The ESCAPE PV must have made us look like a really big band, so you should buy 1 or 2…or 3…things so that we can become that big.” The audience laughed along, but it was clear that many fans planned to do just that. The bassist went on to call out and introduce each member—warning the audience that Seiya would probably be too shy to say anything—ending with Keisuke. Ray encouraged the mostly male audience to “forget about looking good in front of the girls” at the show and let completely loose for the last two songs.

They did just that; for Destination and Ruin, the audience let everything out. Daiki played a rocking bass solo in the former, and Keisuke jumped down from the stage to mosh with the audience in the latter. And on that note, Deviloof ended their solo show with more than a few new followers that will surely look forward to see what the band has to offer in the coming year.

Since we last reported on DIAURA in 2016, the band has only gained speed. The band’s loyal followers, Gumin (愚民), gathered at Toyosu PIT on September 3rd, also known as “Gumin no Hi.” In past years, DIAURA has celebrated this day by holding free shows or guerilla lives in Shinjuku Station Square. This year, however, they decided to mix things up with an epic solo show.

The stage spoke tyranny and elegance – large cage-like structures were spaced out by long velvet curtains. A large screen was centered in the back, along with DIAURA’s logo.

When the lights went out, the audience roared with loud applause and cheering. The opening sound track—rock mixed with a tinge of EDM influence—was accompanied by blood red lights. The members took their places on stage, each entrance punctuated by a burst of even louder cheering from fans. When vocalist yo-ka took his place, the lights went up, revealing yo-ka’s deep red jacket.

Gumin no Hi 2017 opened with Tousakushou Resistance, a heavy but easy-to-follow track that had DIAURA’s followers to the very back of the venue pumping their fists in the air to the rhythm.

“Give me some more!” yo-ka screamed into the mic to introduce the next track, Akai Kyozou. The maniac 2013 track displayed yo-ka’s vertasile vocal range (and screaming range), while fans rocked their heads and joined in some call-and-response. “Scream!” yo-ka egged on the audience, later joined by drummer Tatsuya‘s call of “Come on!” The band was already in full throttle and they were only on their second song.

Shangri-La and Dancing in the Dark followed, the latter featuring disco lights. Gumin clapped to the catchy, jazz-like beat. The song closed with blue and purple strobe lights and wild headbanging from fans. We’ve heard some pretty intense fans in our past live reports on S-T.net, but honestly, the cheering and member calls that accompanied the following darkness were almost deafening.

yo-ka delivered the first MC of the evening. He asked if everyone was having fun and officially welcomed everyone to Gumin no Hi 2017. He hoped everyone could leave the venue being proud to say they are DIAURA’s Gumin.

Red and green lights signaled blind message, a song that turned the venue into a sea of heads shaking wildly back and forth. Kei delivered a speedy and prolific guitar solo while bassist Shoya lent his voice to backing vocals. The band and fan chemistry was perfect, especially for the song that followed, Chaos Play. Hardly anyone in the venue was standing still.

The heavy beats of CRIMINAL BEAST and the death vocals of evil followed before the venue cooled down with Zangetsu no Tomoshibi. Following Mr. Isolation, yo-ka delivered his second MC of the night. DIAURA has been together for 7 years, but this marked the band’s 5th Gumin no Hi, he explained. He also realized that fans in the audience were probably a bit down lately with so many bands announcing their haituses and breakups, but yo-ka promised fans that DIAURA was only thinking of moving forward. They want to take their fans to even bigger and better places – even overseas. “I’m Japanese Master,” yo-ka said in English, drawing laughter from fans. He made them laugh even harder by introducing each member in English: “Japanese Tatsuya, Japanese Shoya, and Japanese Kei.” With this positive energy in mind, fans gave their all for the rest of the set, Noah and MASTER.

The band returned for an encore in band tees, beginning with the headbang- and mosh-inducing Beautiful Creature. Then each member said a few words during an extended Gumin no Hi MC. Tatsuya started off his introduction with a drum roll and member calls from fans. He thanked everyone for coming and lamented at how fast the show was coming to an end. He repeated yo-ka’s sentiment that he knew some fans were down about all the band breakups happening lately. He also understood that there were a lot of fans that couldn’t make it to this year’s Gumin no Hi and wanted to assure fans that their voices have been heard.

Shoya was next. He said he couldn’t sleep last night with excitement for the show and ended up going for a run. He said there’s a lot to be excited for and that DIAURA isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

Kei thanked everyone—staff, fans, friends, and more—for their constant support. This was the band’s first time playing at Toyosu PIT, and he was a bit unsure of how it would turn out. He mused about how even though the stage setup in most venues are somewhat the same, the floor is usually different. PIT marked the biggest-capacity venue they’d played at to date. No matter the shape or size of the audience, though, Kei said he felt comforted by being able to look to his side and always see his band members with him. He also made the audience chuckle as he mused, “I wasn’t able to make it to the ocean this summer, but this audience is like an ocean. So I guess I made it to the ocean after all!”

yo-ka announced several of the band’s next big steps: a one-man tour and a full album release at the end of November. Each announcement was met with thunderous cheers from the audience. yo-ka asked everyone to join the band in their next steps.

The next song in the encore was actually a new song that they’d played once before and liked how the audience reacted to it – is DEAD. Fans danced left and right, headbanged in the heavy breakdown, and followed Master yo-ka’s lead for the parts they weren’t quite used to yet.

Garden of Eden followed, a bright ballad that brought a shower of golden streamers down onto the audience. DIAURA ended Gumin no Hi 2017 in a special way; they unveiled a brand new song dedicated to the Gumin themselves, titled Gumintou Sanka. Fans listened to the introduction with excitement and fans danced along to the heavy beat and red lights. And so, DIAURA closed out Gumin no Hi in exactly the way it should – celebrating not the band, but its passionate and supportive fans.

When SuG announced their first ever Nippon Budokan concert to celebrate their 10th anniversary, there weren’t many fans who expected it would also be their last show ever – perhaps even the band themselves. But the dreaded announcement came just weeks before the big show, and needless to say, they turned their first Budokan show into a show that fans definitely didn’t want to miss.

If you’ve read our translations of SuG’s indefinite hiatus announcement, you’ll know exactly what kind of show they wanted it to be. It’s a bittersweet ending, with some members claiming they’ve failed or they haven’t done enough. But more than their feelings of regret, they wanted to express their gratitude to their fans that supported them over the last 10 years, despite their ups and downs and even their breaks.

It’s fitting, then, that they titled their show in a way that sums up the very essence of SuG: “HEAVY POSITIVE ROCK.” Over 7,000 fashionable fans crowded into Nippon Budokan on the evening of September 2, 2017. A small platform on the stage, meant for vocalist Takeru, read “HEAVY” in bold letters. A large screen lined the back of the stage.

A video signaled the start of the show. An EDM-inspired back track played as the characters “1/12/2007-9/2/2017″ were shown across the screen, indicating SuG’s start date and their end date – today. Despite the dramatic start, things picked up on a positive note quicky. Red lights and purple lasers accompanied the catchy beat of AGAKU, the opening track. The members dressed in monochrome for this part of the set, letting the music and graphics speak for them. The audience put their hands in the air, pumping their fists to the beat.

HELLYEAH brought even more color and energy to the stage. Takeru jumped on and off his mini platform as he pleased. Both heavy and positive, one could say HELLYEAH is a great representation of SuG’s final period. Fukanzen Beautyfool Days followed, the first “older” track of the set. Takeru’s face lit up in a huge smile more than once. Chiyu moved around the stage a lot, too, hyping up the standing crowd in the arena.

With that track finished, Takeru delivered his first MC of the evening. He thanked everyone for coming and asked if they were doing okay. Then he launched into a brief account of SuG’s blessed history. When SuG first started out, he said, there were maybe five people total who supported them. After only 6 months of playing together—by some miracle, Takeru said—they were able to sell out Meguro Rockmaykan, a venue that can squeeze in about 300 people if they try. The second miracle, he said, was that this Budokan show attracted a staggering 7,000 people when they thought they would only be able to pull in about 3,000.

Of course, with 7,000 people watching, SuG had to do something big. Starting with Toy Soldier, the next few tracks in the set featured a full dance team that filled in the space on the huge Budokan stage. Children danced expertly in simple black and purple T’s, then adult dancers came out for songs like Koakuma Sparkling, B.A.B.Y., and Mugen Style.

Later in the set, SuG performed their member introductions (not that they needed any) with instrumental solos. Starting with drummer Shinpei, a small team of dancers moved to the beat of each instrument; then followed bassist Chiyu, guitarist Yuji, and finally, guitarist Masato.

All dancers returned to the set for a more classic SuG song, sweeToxic. The catchy guitar and vocals were accented by some of Takeru’s own dance skills. The jazzy tones of Keiyaku Kanojo, Ikenie Kareshi followed, then the whole audience got up and jumping for FRIDAY!!.

A brief MC followed in which all the members thanked the audience for coming. The upbeat tones of gr8 story, ☆Gimme Gimme☆, and the excellent Japanese and English word play of SICK’S got the audience worked up in a sweat. mad$hip gave the setlist some contrast, adding just a touch of darkness to the otherwise totally positive set.

SuG’s fans were in for a rare, final treat next: a medley for their 10th anniversary. Song after song drew excited cheers from the crowd, such as R.P.G., Vi-Vi-Vi, and Crazy Bunny Coaster. 39GalaxyZ closed out the main set with dancers, energy, colors, lights, and even paper stars that fell gently from the ceiling of Nippon Budokan.

When the members came back for the encore, Takeru had swapped his dark clothing for a bright, red leather jacket. Rainbow lights lit up the stage for dot.0. After the song ended, though, the hard part began. It was time for the members to say what they had prepared to say in farewell to the fans, staff, family, and friends that had supported them over the past 10 years.

The members said their piece one by one, beginning with Shinpei. He had mentioned on Twitter that he hadn’t prepared what he was going to say at their last show; all he could think of was preparing for this last show to be the best. He couldn’t think past it. Despite that, he explained his unease at this being their last ever show and what he would do. There were a lot of people, he said, really a lot of people that helped them over the last 10 years. From fans, to staff, to friends, to family, to fellow bandmen, a lot of people had supported them and made SuG possible. Tears welled in Shinpei’s eyes and his voice broke as he said, “I never thought I could be this happy.”

Chiyu had said what he wanted to say already on Twitter prior to the show because he wasn’t confident in keeping thoughts in his head while delivering an MC on stage. He had mentioned how he wanted to express not their guilt, but their gratitude towards their fans at their final show. A lot of fellow bandmen, staff, fans, etc. gave him support over the years. For a while, he had contemplated quitting the bass completely. However, he said, thanks to the advice and help of his senpai bandmen, he ultimately decided that he would continue on with bass playing in one form or another, most likely support. It was a statement that lifted the hearts of the otherwise forlorn fans in the audience.

Yuji had prepared three things to say—well, after the second one, he revealed that he had actually only prepared two. He thanked those who supported them over the last 10 years. He also talked about how he knew many fans who became friends just by having the mutual interest of SuG. “Even after SuG is over, please take care of those friendships,” he said. “They’re important.”

It was Masato‘s final MC that put most of the audience in tears. Where the other members smiled, Masato clearly struggled with his emotions, frequently pausing during his MC to find his voice again. “I’m not angry, but I’m definitely feeling a lot of emotions right now,” he began. He was grateful for all the support they received over the past 10 years despite their pause. When he learned the Budokan show would be their last show, he explained, he felt hurt and guilty. He had wanted SuG to do so much more, he lamented. More than his regret, though, he ultimately wanted to express his gratitude.

Takeru came last. He reiterated his feelings starting with the announcement of their Budokan show in May, leading up to the day of the historical show. He explained how the band realized that you can’t just make it in the music business with music; there were still some things that the band wasn’t skilled enough at to keep going on. He was sorry he couldn’t keep his promise to go even further with SuG.

The first Budokan show Takeru saw, he explained, was 13 years ago. He said somewhere in the back and watched HYDE live on stage. He decided then that he wanted to perform on that stage some day. Life isn’t like a manga or a movie, he said, but “if I, a normal teenager, can get to the point of standing on the Budokan stage for myself, then you can, too. All of you!” he yelled into the audience, fervor adding volume to his words.

This passionate ending to the MC led into teenAge dream, a song Takeru wrote to his teenage self. The PV played on the back screen, drawing the audience’s eyes to that image of Takeru’s teenage self rather than the Takeru that stood on stage now. CRY OUT followed, then the first encore closed out with the audience singing along to Smells Like Virgin Spirit. “Louder! This is what you came here to do!” Takeru egged on the audience. The song ended and the members bowed and left the stage once more.

SuG had two more songs for the audience: LOVE SCREAM PARTY and Tokidoki Suteki na Kono Sekai, both positive and heavy songs that allowed SuG’s final show to end just the way they wanted to. All the members of the band and the dance teams came out to take a final bow. The band also took time to thank their staff—some of which had supported them the full 10 years—and most of all, the fans. Even after the show ended, it took ages for the members to properly say goodbye to their fans for the last time.

Since their beginnings in 2013, sukekiyo has been drawing interest from fans worldwide. Headed by DIR EN GREY‘s own Kyo, the 5-member band is known for putting on shows in both livehouse and hall settings that boast high-quality light and visual sets, technical instrument setups, and their unique, maniac music.

“Rakka suru getsumen” is a series of hall shows based on the band’s latest release “ADORATIO.” The first show in the three-stop tour took place at Tokyo’s International Forum Hall C, which was completely sold out, despite it being a weekday.

The black-clad audience fell into a dead silence as the lights went down. A thin screen separated the stage from the audience. The dark and eerie sounds of giji necromancer—a track off of “ADORATIO”—permeated the stillness. The members were present on stage, but the thin screen barred them from vision; backlighting only revealed the members’ passing shadows. Monochrome visuals of flowers and more flashed on the giant screen. Some lyrics to the song in both Japanese and English were displayed at points through the song.

The thin screen lifted and revealed the members clad in black—Kyo sporting black hair; bassist Yuchi in twin braids, and the remaining members Takumi (guitar, piano, manipulator), Uta (guitar), and Mika (drums) in equally dark attire. A series of microphones and instruments were set up around vocalist Kyo, each to come into play throughout the show.

leather field followed the opening track, the members thrashing heads to the heavy and dramatic song. Then hidauta followed, a melodic harp opening giving way to sukekiyo’s signature maniac sound, emphasized by a brilliant display of lasers and lights. Interestingly, the English translation of the lyrics was shown on the back screens throughout the song.

Uta’s acoustic chords led into mannerism na tsumetai souretsusya. In this dark and sultry tune, the cameras behind Kyo’s microphone came into play; though his back was to the audience, his teasing face was displayed in HD screens set above the stage. It allowed audience members even in the back of the venue an intimate glimpse of the vocalist, and at times, the other members.

focus followed, and then came en. The official PV for this was displayed on all screens, offering an interesting juxtaposition between the members in the PV and the members on stage.

A brief interlude in which the piano, guitar, manipulator, and drum skills of each member was displayed followed. This led into hemimetabolism, a mostly instrumental track off of sukekiyo’s first release, “IMMORTALIS.”

Uta took bow to electric guitar in the song that followed, saredo michizure. Fog machines obscured the members briefly, transforming the venue into a stormy sky when the bright lasers cut through. Kyo danced in an almost robotic manner, and Takumi showed off some of his keyboard and manipulator skills. The slow but uneven rhythm, coupled with Kyo’s constantly changing voice, could have unsettled anyone.

The intensity picked up once more with shiryou no ariana. Heavy, almost tribal percussion gave way to fast-paced beat. Kyo utilized the voice-distorting microphones set up behind him, and Yuchi lent his strength to Mika’s percussion with a small drum and manipulator of his own. Takumi abandoned his keyboards to deliver some fast-picked guitar notse.

The members reverted to their original instruments for vandal, also an earlier song in the band’s short but illustrious career thus far. The crazy rhythm and instrumentals brought out each of the members’ personalities. Yuchi provided screaming back vocals. For gunya ketsuron, soshite chimanako., red light saturated the audience. The tune built in intensity until it reached a point of insanity, then came to an abrupt end. Then followed mimi zozo, a track that was released at previous hall shows. The song set vocals at the main focus, in a more tradition band sound.

Mika’s fast and steady pace led the band into aoguroi hysteria, a song that again featured the contrast of acoustic and electric guitar; manipulator and piano; and melodic and screaming vocals.anima and aftermath brought the show towards a calm end. The thin screen went down once more for aftermath, so that the performance appeared almost like a shadow play.

The final song of the night was naburi, a relatively low-key song that abruptly developed into death metal growls and manipulators. Kyo and the other members thrased heads wildly, letting loose their last reserves of energy. The credits for the show rolled past, and the acoustic ending brought “Rakka suru getsumen” to as silent and as dark of an ending as its beginning.

On June 11th, 2017, LUNA SEA guitarists SUGIZO and INORAN clashed axes in an epic show titled as “BEST BOUT 2017 ~L 2/5~.” This was the third of such a show, with the first one being performed on June 9th, 2016, and the other in Osaka on June 9th, 2017 (known in Japan as “Rock Day”). This June 11th show—which was completely sold out—was the final in the Japan leg of the tour. It is to be followed by shows in both Singapore and Taiwan, bringing this battle to fans overseas eager to see 2/5 of LUNA SEA in action.

On the stage, a thin screen was set on the very edge of the stage, with plenty of lights lining the back of the stage. These were used by SUGIZO and INORAN to portray gigantic shadows of themselves, SUGIZO wielding his violin and INORAN armed with his guitar. The two battled it out in a dramatic introduction that built up tension in the venue immediately.

SUGIZO

The dragon symbol and a flood of blue and white lights signaled SUGIZO’s takeover of the stage. “Welcome to Best Bout,” SUGIZO said. Whether you’re an INORAN fan or a SUGIZO fan, he prodded, he wanted everyone to enjoy the show until the end. And so the set began with IRA, a track off of his latest album “Oto.” The erratic beat mixed in with SUGIZO’s screaming guitar and the Japanese flavor of the shakuhachi flute pulled the audience into his world. Monochrome, geometric visuals played on the stage screens.

“SUGIZO!” fans in the audience yelled, holding up their hands in the famous Star Trek/SUGIZO hand signal. TELL ME WHY NOT PSYCHEDELIA? followed, bringing up the heat and getting fans—both SUGIZO fans and INORAN fans—to jump to the club-like beat.

Fans were given a taste of SUGIZO’s entrancing violin skills with the classic FATIMA, then thrown into a much darker and erratic world with Lux Aeterna, one of SUGIZO’s newest tracks. This track is interesting in that it seems to change a little bit each time it’s performed, whether in the sound of the guitar or the instrumentation used. This allows fans to witness the development of the musician’s style in person. In the same vein, Decaying followed, providing a glimpse into the chaos of SUGIZO’s mind with wild, flashing lights and actual sparks.

The groove returned with Misogi and DO-FUNK DANCE, the former featuring a bongo and guitar battle. Fans danced all the way until the end, and then SUGIZO introduced each of his act’s members and left the stage.

Concertgoers looking for a good old rock sound would appreciate INORAN’s set. “1, 2, 3, 4!” INORAN counted the audience in for the opening track, grace and glory. Thank you featured a distinctly American rock sound. Bassist u:zo pumped up the audience and led the crowd with his hand movements.

Where SUGIZO’s set focused on visuals, INORAN’s set focused purely on sound. After Get a feeling, INORAN said a few words to the audience. “Hey Tokyo, I’ve missed you,” he began. He stated his goal to strike a (musical) attack on his “older brother” SUGIZO, but he needed everyone’s support. “Let’s go, Tokyo!” he said, ending his pep talk.

Both fans and band delivered in Awaking in myself, the catchy beat making both INORAN and SUGIZO fans jump. During the heavier and sassier beats of 2Lime s, guitarist yukio murata delivered a guitar solo by using drum sticks on his guitar in place of guitar picks.

INORAN called SUGIZO himself out on the stage for a brief MC, in which he said he was looking forward to the upcoming Asia tour with BEST BOUT. Then SUGIZO joined in on guitar for Beautiful Now, making himself known while adding great harmony to the fan favorite tune.

Rightaway and Get Laid heated up the venue further. In the MC that followed, INORAN had a slew of announcements to make, the first being that this year marked the 20th anniversary of solo events for the solo artist. Other announcements included his annual birthday live, a tour, and a new self-cover best-of album to be released on August 23. The two-CD set includes a rock side and an acoustic side, along with two brand new songs.

INORAN ended his set with raize and All We Are, the fans’ chorus of “Yeah, yeah, yeah” resounding throughout Zepp Tokyo.

In SUGIZO’s act, fans were able to witness the outpouring of SUGIZO’s musical style, both dark and dance-y. This particular show featured a lot of 90’s guitar sounds, and the addition of a few new instrumental tricks. INORAN’s set offered the feel of a classic rock show, with lots of fist pumping, jumping, and sassy vocals. Seeing these two radically different acts, it’s hard to see how they’ve managed to work in harmony in LUNA SEA for over two decades. We guess it’s true that opposites attract.

L’Arc-en-Ciel has become a household name in Japan since the late 1990’s. They’ve also captured more than a few hearts overseas. They are one of the few Japanese bands to boast the privilege of headlining a Madison Square Garden show (which we covered back in 2012), and has toured a total of four continents. So, they celebrated their 25th anniversary like any legendary band would: with a two-day bonanza at the 55,000-person capacity Tokyo Dome. Need we mention that they sold out both days, bringing that total to a whopping 110,000 people?

Vo. hyde

The small village of fans gathered in the arena and stands waited eagerly for the show to begin. A video began playing on giant duo screens flanking the stage. It told the story of a character named Ellie Crane; she charged the audience with the mission of collecting pieces of the memory of L’Arc-en-Ciel’s 25th L’Anniversary show that were scattered around the world.

A myriad of screens and rainbow lights flared, and the show began with Niji (虹). Vocalist hyde wore long, flowing garments akin to something you’d see in Aladdin. Bassist tetsuya was decked out in all red, while guitarist ken and drummer yukihiro stuck to classic black costumes.

The visuals changed to graphics of cogs and machinery turning for Caress of Venus. “Tokyo!” hyde yelled to the crowd. Following the Fourth Avenue Café, the band made their first MC of the night. hyde thanked everyone for coming, and ken attempted a completely off-topic talk that hyde ended with a brief, “Alright, that’s enough.” The audience got a kick out of it, at least.

The bright atmosphere changed when the screens flickered out one by one for fate. Then, torches lit up on stage and yukihiro led the band into forbidden lover. The crowd watched on in solemn silence The stage screens lit up and connected to form a dazzling scene of a moonlit ocean.

The band dipped out for a quick costume change. hyde traded his Arabesque look for one akin to a pilot. He and ken took up drums (!?), while yukihiro and tetsuya jammed on guitars for REVELATION. Fans received a free light wristband –L’ed–when they got to their seat. Each section was individually programmed to flash at different times. Around this part of the set is when the L’ed bands came into play: first creating a sea of red, then flashing to blue.

Ba. tetsuya

Then, L’Arc-en-Ciel utilized one of Tokyo Dome’s unique features: the front stage literally lifted up into the air, traveled over the arena, and lowered onto a small stage set in the back of the arena. There they performed Voice, one of L’Arc-en-Ciel’s earliest tracks (and one of the earlier songs that made hyde happiest to be in the band, he said), as well as one of their newer—and more sensual songs—X X X. Some fans on the second floor had different L’ed lights at this point, so that their section spelled out “X X X.”

The stage returned to its original position. Along the way, members threw buckets full of plastic balls into the audience. Then, the fans were treated to a series of video clips from way back in the day, ranging from old commercials to backstage footage and to old photoshoot material. They played a series of fan favorites next: Kasou (花葬), Shinshoku -lose control- (浸食 -lose control-), and HONEY. These songs featured guest dancers dressed in cyborg-like costumes.

Then, the whole audience joined in for a moving, 55,000 person chorus of MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM. When the cameras panned to the audience, banners and flags from other countries could be spotted here and there, offering some worldwide fan representation.

The surprises kept coming; the energy of the set picked up with NEO UNIVERSE, STAY AWAY, Driver’s High, and READY STEADY GO. It was also during this time that a humongous inflatable car complete with a L’ 25th logo hovered over the audience. The members left the stage briefly.

They returned with Don’t be Afraid, their latest single – performed live at this show for the first time. They briefly spoke about the past 25 years, and how people still misspell their name after all this time (L’Arc-en-Shell instead of L’Arc-en-Ciel), and how it’s amazing that none of them are bald yet (though ken wears glasses now). This led into a blast from the past, Blurry Eyes, complete with original video clips that juxtaposed the members then and now.

hyde preluded the next song, Link, with an MC about how the band has truly experience some ups and downs in these past 25 years, but it is because of all of the fans and everyone involved that they made it this far – and at Tokyo Dome, no less. The smiling faces of the fans, hyde said, were even brighter than the L’ed bands worn by 55,500 fans. Their final song of the night was Anata (あなた), a song dedicated to the people who made all of this possible – you.

The 25th L’Anniversary was everything fans wanted and more: a place to celebrate the growth of one of Japan’s most famous bands, music both old and new, and the unity of fans from around the world.

On December 4th, 2016, fans from across Japan flocked to Zepp Tokyo to witness a live preview of “Oto” (音), SUGIZO’s first new album release in nearly five years, at the final of “The Voyage Home” tour. The standing are was full to bursting, while those with seated tickets remained standing for the entire set.

Eerie synthesizer music—almost like a trip to outer space—played in the background while the band prepared to start. The stage was jam-packed with drums, turntables, keyboards, and guitar pedals. The back of the stage was dominated by a large screen displaying a symbol of a winged crystal.

The room went dark, then deep blue lights shone into the crowd. SUGIZO’s support members, all clad in black, took their places on stage one by one, each greeted by cheers. Of course, SUGIZO earned the loudest cheers of them all, fans holding their hands up in the musician’s signature, Star Trek-inspired fashion.

The set opened with a song off of “Oto,” IRA. Black and white lines wriggled across the screen. Heavy bass and drums battled in an erratic rhythm, interlaced with Japanese shakuhachi flute phrases. Moments of silence only added to its unsteadiness.

SUGIZO edged ever closer to the audience during fan-favorite FINAL OF THE MESSIAH. The heat in the audience picked up as well. SUGIZO switched guitars for almost every song during the set, all to achieve different and unique sounds for each tune. For NEO COSMOSCAPE, however, SUGIZO traded in his guitar midway through the song to hop on the second drum set. One of his drummers took center stage for a standing drum solo that had the audience dancing.

Raummusik, another new track featured on “Oto,” featured a monochrome lighting pattern similar to IRA. This time, though, the beat was steadier, the guitar phrases more elaborate, and the visuals more mysterious. ARC MOON followed, a rare treat for fans of SUGIZO’s solo work. The calm melody and guitar style sound akin to LUNA SEA, followed by a more rocking mood change at the end. The fans’ cheers were deafening when the song came to a close.

During Lux Aeterna, Atsushi (Dragon Ash) joined the performance as a backup dancer. He expressed the contrast between the erratic beat and the elegant notes SUGIZO played beautifully through arm movements that alternated between jerky and smooth. It was difficult to choose what was most fascinating to focus on: the dark visuals in the back, the skilled dancing of Atsushi, or the hypnotic playing of SUGIZO.

Decaying and Misogi offered similarly unsteady rhythms, the former taking on more of a rocking, club beat closer to SUGIZO’s signature sound. Decaying featured jazz-style trumpet from Toru, an unexpected but welcome addition to the anticipated track.

The album “Oto” itself, SUGIZO explained during his MC’s, is an expression of the dark, the ugly, and the filth that exists within the famed musician. The next album, he promised, would sound more beautiful. The audience reacted to this with knowing laughter. His set closed out with DO-FUNK-DANCE, allowing the audience one last chance to dance in SUGIZO’s carefully crafted world.

For the encore, fans were treated to a very special performance of one of the most influential songs on SUGIZO himself, LIFE ON MARS? by David Bowie. Maiko—who has worked with X JAPAN for years—accompanied SUGIZO’s soaring violin on piano. “The Voyage Home” closed out on a high note with TELL ME WHY?, bringing the setlist full circle.

“Oto” offers interesting rhythm and instrumental combinations uncommon to SUGIZO’s style until now. But, that may be precisely what makes you want to listen to the songs’ interesting patterns over and over. The album is currently available for sale, so grab it where you can!

Between the dates of Friday, October 14th and Sunday, October 16th, Makuhari Messe Halls 9-11 housed the first Visual Japan Summit 2016. Over the course of three days, Makuhari saw over 100,000 fans there to see over 50 bands that define themselves (or are associated with) visual kei.

S-T was there to witness all three days of the visual kei madness, spending at least 13 hours in the venue each day. Days 1, 2, and 3 each included vastly different line-ups, allowing fans to not only check out new bands, but also to realize just how varied the genre has become in both looks and sound. (You can see the complete lineup here.)

On Day 1, we witnessed the revival of Extasy Summit, the predecessor to VJS that last took place 24 years ago. Day 2 gave us an amazing collaboration between HYDE and YOSHIKI, and a brilliant performance by hide with Spread Beaver. Day 3 featured the hilarious antics of Golden Bomber and a haunting acoustic set by Kiyoharu.

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Without further ado, here are our original reports of Visual Japan Summit 2016 powered by Rakuten.

An eerie SE gave way to the entrance of the well-known live house band DIAURA, who drew the largest crowd yet to the Visual stage. The vicious set began with Taidou and its side-to-side headbanging, followed by the heavy drumming of Akai Kyozou, complete with Tatsuy’s enthusiastic screaming from his seat.

yo-ka’s MC struck a chord; in the middle of the band’s serious, vicious set list, he took a rare moment to break the fourth wall and address the audience in earnest, “There must be a lot of people here seeing us for the first time. Please remember us, and have fun.” yo-ka went on to explain to newcomers that the band’s fans are called “gumin,” and asked the gumin and the new faces alike to be kind to each other during their short time together. “Everyone be nice. I know we seem like rough people, too, but we’re just enjoying ourselves.”

The set resumed and concluded with the powerful song MASTER. Features of the performance were Kei’s center-stage guitar solo and the crowd’s singing along during one refrain. There was still an air of excitement lingering when DIAURA took their leave from the stage.

We’ll admit we were a little puzzled when we saw Mumiy Troll’s name in the lineup for Visual Japan Summit. “Who is that?” we wondered. “Are they even visual kei?” The honest answer is, “No.” Mumiy Troll is a Russian band that was popular in both their home country and Japan in the 1980’s. We decided to chalk this up to X JAPAN inviting some of their many, many overseas musician pals.

Despite the disassociation from visual kei, Mumiy Troll’s set was definitely fun. Though most of them have since lost their big, teased 80’s hairstyles, they still retain their energetic pop rock sound. They were one of the few bands that made use of the projector screens, flashing images of…cats in space? Anime-style music videos? Video game-style graphics? You could definitely see the Japanese influence in their visuals.

In his MC (delivered in Japanese!), Ilya Lagutenko thanked Yoshiki for the invitation to play at VJS. “Today is my actually my birthday. This is the best birthday present I could have ever received!” They even chose to sing one of their songs, Girl, entirely in Japanese.

Though many in the audience started watching Mumiy Troll’s set completely unaware of who they are, it’s safe to say that through their catchy pop rock sound and their bright attitude, they gained at least a few new fans.

The high-impact Suiren was a strong opening and grand introduction for visual kei veterans MUCC. Visualizations of cloudy scenery rolled over the main screen with Tatsurou’s eerie vocals during the quieter parts of the song, while the catchier parts had the members bobbing around the stage.

The ever popular ENDER ENDER followed with an even greater response from the crowd. Lyrics appeared on screen for the audience to sing (or scream) along as they pleased. Miya shone with his guitar sections on this song in particular.

Tatsurou delivered what we think was the best MC of the whole festival. He talked about discovering visual kei in his youth and deciding to make music. He never thought they’d end up there. “When people ask, ‘Do you like visual kei?’ I want people to say, ‘Yes, I like visual kei’ with pride. We’re not just bands with makeup.” He thanked Yoshiki for inviting them to such a big event, and the audience thanked Tatsurou for lifting up their spirits.

It was the perfect segue into Heide, a song in which the band flashed brilliant images of nature on the back screen, highlighting the song’s dramatic and hopeful mood. In Ranchuu, the band successfully got everyone to sit down and jump, and they closed out their set with TONIGHT, where Ken from L’Arc~en~Ciel made a surprise appearance on guitar.

MUCC’s set was packed with new songs, classics, brilliant instrumentation, pride, and a few surprises.

vistlip had a very upbeat set. They kicked off with SINDRA, and Recipe got the audience jumping up and down. Tomo asked the audience if they were having a good time. He mentioned how moved he was by Tatsuro’s MC, and talked about how vistlip was another band that was surprised at just how far they’d come. They’d recently played a show in Kumamoto and felt the reality of playing all over Japan. He was grateful for the support from fans and said he hoped he could continue bringing vistlip’s act to them.

Things got a little more heated during My second B-day., where the audience became a sea of hair whipping back and forth. They kept that energy up for GLOSTER IMAGE, and closed out on a slightly more dramatic note with low, red lighting for LAYOUT.

We know, we know – there are still a lot of visual kei fans that don’t care for Golden Bomber. The comedic act is notorious for having instrumentalists that don’t actually play their instruments. Because of their insane humor, though, they’ve captured hearts all over Japan. If you’d been at Visual Japan Summit, you might have been converted to a Golden Bomber fan.

Their set opened with a figure kneeling in the center of the stage, the spotlight shining down on their back. The music video for Mizushoubai wo Yamete kurenai ka began playing, then was cut off when the members ran onto the stage in full-out X JAPAN cosplay to play a cover of Kurenai. Golden Bomber fans and X fans alike went nuts. For the grand finale, drummer Kenji (or should we say, Yoshiki) stumbled up to a cardboard gong. When he beat it, all of the members abruptly collapsed onto the ground.

The band took time to introduce themselves after the laughter and applause had died. Vocalist Kiryuuin Sho said he was glad no one got mad, because they were wondering just how far they could go with their parody. Drummer Kenji mentioned their drumset was borrowed from YOSHIKI himself.

Several things happened in the song that followed, Dakishimete Schwarz. Pretty much all of Makuhari Messe kept up with the furitsuke–fan or not. Kyan Yutaka whipped out a guitar made entirely of Umaibo (a popular Japanese snack) and began chomping on it. When a cardboard drumset appeared on stage, Kenji crashed into it in true YOSHIKI style, and even went so far as to throw one of the drums into the audience (with cartoon-y sound effects, of course). The gong made its appearance once again, and the members collapsed when Kenji banged it.

Other highlights included the music video and ridiculously complicated furitsuke for the ultimate visual kei parody, Yokubou no Uta; traditional visual kei furitsuke for The V-kei poi Kyoku; and a surprise appearance from YOSHIKI at the end of Memeshikute (which even the members were surprised by). Golden Bomber was definitely one of the highlights of the whole festival.

Having originally formed in 1992, cali≠gari is another forefather of the visual kei scene and still brings the unique and strange to stage even today. The band’s infamous vocalist, Shuuji, came on stage in a puff-shouldered pantsuit, something of a cross between Tim Burton movies and Robert Smith of The Cure. The rest of the band was dressed appropriately in black, and if the dress and the nu-wave SE wasn’t enough indication, there was some oddity in store in this set.

A simple but heavy number, Machina’s “high-energy goth” sound grabbed the attention of more of the attendees passing by the stage, which was retained especially by the theatrics by Ao on bass (and by Inbi Marude Chaos Na, on hand-raving, as well).

It wasn’t possible to prepare for the noise, chaos, and wonder that came with the second-to-last song of the set, Siren. The stage descended into madness little by little, with Shuuji channeling David Bowie in the way he presented himself, Ao banging his microphone into his head and collapsing (intentionally) on stage, and the haunting screeching vocals that began to echo out.

Siren bled into Kusobaka Gomigero, when Shuuji suddenly from the stage. (Worry not — he reappeared climbing the siding on the outside of the left-hand side of the stage, where the arena cameras had such a hard time filming him that most of the audience was left confused about his whereabouts.) He before long to scream at the audience and see them off at the end of the sublimely bizarre set.

LUNA SEA was one of the few days who played for more than one day of the festival. Lucky fans who were able to attend both Days 1 and 3 were treated to two very different setlists. Moonlight Sonata led them in, and the band kicked off with one of their most well-known tunes, ROSIER. At the end of BELIEVE, Shinya delivered an impressive and speedy drum solo.

“How’s everyone doing? It’s the final day of Visual Japan Summit, and it’s also a full moon!” Ryuuichi told the audience in his MC. He talked about the band’s history in relation to X JAPAN a bit and expressed that despite their trials in the past, LUNA SEA wants to go farther than ever. Then fans were treated to a couple of rare songs – DESIRE and Sweetest Coma Again.

gravity slowed things down a bit, then picked up again throughout STORM, SHINE, and TONIGHT. In traditional LUNA SEA style, they wrapped it up with WISH, the whole audience singing along.

Sandwiched between the two biggest acts of the night, Kiryu played to the biggest crowd for any sub-stage band on day 3. It was an interesting selection: a heavy band influenced by traditional Japanese culture, artistry, and instruments, something to keep the crowd on its toes between the “big two.”

The members entered twirling with the long sleeves of their furisode kimono and fans whirling around them on the way to their respective spots on stage. The first song, Amaterasu (named after a principle Shinto deity), incorporated the sounds of the harp-like koto, alongside a guitar solo by Takemasa.

Irodori introduced fan-waving furitsuke and shamisen lines for a different kind of traditional sound — but still came with a section heavy enough to induce forward-folding headbanging. At center stage, Mahiro was just as much a frontman as a vocalist, with his well-practiced arm movements flowing smoothly to guide the crowd.

During the MC, Mahiro introduced the band to the sea of new faces, and appealed to the diverse audience in acknowledging the band’s considerable differences from LUNA SEA and X JAPAN. He went farther, relating that when Kiryu began the members were much like the fans in the crowd, following bands like X JAPAN. The surprise of the set followed: a cover of hide with Spread Beaver’s Pink Spider, which was of course received thunderous cheers.

The final song, Hyakki Yakou, ended on a powerfully “rock” note, with death voice and wild headbanging to rev the audience up for what was to follow.

Kiryu made a shining impact in bringing the ‘visual’ part of ‘visual kei’ to the stage. The members each stood out in their own brilliant but thematically similar costumes, all wearing a different color much like the kotekote visual kei bands of old. With well-written music to boot, we’re sure some of the attendees seeing them for the first time will be going back for more.

The grand finale had come. YOSHIKI took the stage amid smoke and stood at his drum set, back lighting only revealing his silhouette. JADE began with a burst of shouts, smoke, and fire. SUGIZO warmed up the audience on the wings of the Summit Stage right from the get-go.

“Makuhari!” ToshI shouted after the first song was finished. “Feel the spirit of visual kei and go crazy!” And then Rusty Nail began. All the members took turns using up the whole stage, getting as close to as much of the audience as possible.

In the MC that followed, YOSHIKI and ToshI psyched out the audience a few times by starting to sing bits of X JAPAN classics: Unfinished and You Say Anything. YOSHIKI finally put an end to it by telling ToshI to get on with the MC. “We didn’t plan this, I swear!” he told the audience. “I’m just playing piano!” Then Forever Love began, the audience swaying gently.

Things heated up with Kurenai, SUGIZO getting his chance to shine with a rocking guitar solo. YOSHIKI took the mic to thank fans for all the support they’ve given the band since the last Extasy Summit 24 years ago. Through hard times, they’d always been there. He also asked everyone to support all of the other great bands that performed at Visual Japan Summit over the past three days.

X JAPAN’s set continued with a clip of La Venus (featured in We Are X) and BORN TO BE FREE. The entire audience of over 35,000 performed the X Jump in X, and YOSHIKI struck the giant gong on stage during the “We are…!” call and response. The band disappeared for a few minutes, then returned for WORLD ANTHEM and ENDLESS RAIN. The voices of the audience singing a capella echoed throughout Makuhari Messe.

SUGIZO returned to grace the audience with a stunning violin solo, and then ART OF LIFE was the final song in the setlist, and the final song of Visual Japan Summit.

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end! We truly hoped you enjoyed our journey through all three days of Visual Japan Summit 2016 as much as we did. If there are any bands you think you want to check out, we’ve provided links to each band’s OHP in their respective section.

While we’re unsure if there will be another Visual Japan Summit, we do know that there are more than enough fans in Japan (and overseas) that would love for it to happen. What bands do you want to see there? Let us know in the comments!

Zonbi (or Zombie) is still a relatively new band that’s made a bigger name for itself recently — big enough to kick off the final day of Visual Japan Summit. After George and Tatsurou welcomed attendees to day three, the curtain at the Visual stage opened to reveal… pitch blackness. But when the band got started with Hakaba de Lovesong, showing off Kanata’s crisp vocals and ability to rile the crowd into a frenzy, it was easy to get sucked in.

Kusari-hime introduced fun, “Thriller”-style furitsuke and brought with it a nice kind of mass appeal that made it easy for the early risers to get into the music. Bassist and songwriter Aoi Midori was a presence of his own on stage left, demonstrating how to thrash around duringAbnormal Therapy. He also lent his voice in enthusiastic backup shouts.

Aoi Midori also took center stage on the microphone for one iteration of a repeating verse in the last song, Shineba Ii No Ni. The song brought with it intense headbanging and back-and-forth moshing which, surprisingly, the audience performed with ease in spite of the hour or the fact that this was just the beginning of the show.

Incredibly strong performers for an opening act, Zonbi held their own through and through, and when the curtains drew, the members stood posed with arms outstretched to top off their performance with a memorable final scene.

When the MICRO HEAD 4N’s took the Japan Stage, the party got started. SCANDALOUS got the audience jumping, clapping, and having a blast. Vocalist Nimo called for fans’ death voices in the song that followed, VOLCANATION.

In the MC that followed the third song, Deeper Than Black, bassist ZERO asked the audience how many people had heard of THE MICRO HEAD 4N’S. “Even if it’s a lie, raise your hands! Close your eyes and do it! No one’s looking at you!” More hands and laughter rose in the audience. “Wow!!!” the band exclaimed after seeing so many hands. On that note, they closed out their set on an upbeat note with MONSTER’S ROAR and SEVENTH COLOR.

NoGoD captured the audience’s attention before their set even began by performing a bit of X JAPAN’s Forever Love during their sound check. By show time, a massive crowd had gathered around the Visual Stage. Dancho looked like a cartoonish skeleton child, his book-shaped microphone (as in, it looks like he’s singing directly into a book) completing his fantastical air. The other members’ costumes were no less eyecatching. Kamikaze kicked off their set with a blast of energy.

The energy in their set only kept escalating. Audience participation was high for STAND UP!, and the guitars had their spotlight for Zetsubou, Bye Bye. It all came to a climax in Kakusei, the audience headbanging wildly. The band left the stage with the classic X JAPAN line, “We are…!” and we’re sure at least a few people were calling “NoGoD!”

Gossip’s set dove into heavy sounds and growling right out of the date. Clad in military-esque but dark, gothic costumes, we were drawn into a live house-like act for the first time on day 3. The visual presentation and musical sound that Gossip brought to the table could have been influenced by The GazettE and made for a very good show indeed.

During R-18 the crowd was curiously encouraged into a match of rock-paper-scissors with the vocalist. And when the stellar synchronization between guitarists Satsuki and Akane and bassist Zero wasn’t stealing the show, vocalist Saku was taking it away with his death-voice vocals and pleasantly shrill choruses.

After Saku rallied the arena to cheer section by section, Psycho-pas$ brought Gossip’s set to a close with a furious intensity. Despite appearances, when it came time to part Saku was all smiles, mirroring the many faces in the crowd.

D=OUT brought some beauty to the festival, their good looks drawing in an impressive crowd at the Visual Stage. The band recently left PS COMPANY, but they didn’t lose any of their steam. Kanden 18-gou kicked off their set with a classic visual kei rock sound and the furitsuke to go along with it. Hikou Shoujo followed, catchy, upbeat, and with some synthesizer sounds thrown in the middle.

MUSIC NIPPON, a fan favorite, was greeted with a gale of applause and cheers. Vocalist Kouki alternated between high-pitched vocals and even some screaming, fans responding with full-bodied oritatami and headbanging. D=OUT’s set closed with Hanasaku Beauty, a Japanese-inspired sound that also inspired a lot of smiles.

Despite the strict time limit on their set, Versailles was one of the few bands that chose not to rush through their introduction. The dramatic, backlist opening was just what the audience needed to be pulled in to this visual kei giant’s uniquely elegant atmosphere. The band began to play Aristocrat’s Symphony. Vocalist KAMIJO addressed the audience, “Bonjour! Let’s go!”

Sympathia followed, featuring one of HIZAKI‘s notorious technical and melodic guitar solos. KAMIJO waved a rose as he performed, eventually tossing it into the audience. After the song finished, he gave a heartfelt MC in which he expressed his gratitude for having the opportunity to play at Visual Japan Summit. He vowed that Versailles would continue to reach out into the world, starting with their upcoming show at Nippon Budokan.

Versailles closed their set out with The Revenant Choir, a speedy, symphonic metal tune that highlighted each members’ finesse. KAMIJO used this last song to introduce each member, and at the same time, say goodbye to the audience that came to witness Versailles’ world.

The introductory MC from George and Tatsurou was kept brief for the next act, as MUCC was only a few sets away and Tatsurou announced that he had to go put on his makeup. With little adieu, glamorous guitar, heavy bass, and electronic sounds brought the band onto stage, with the main screen fully utilized for visualizations. The entrance of Kirito, the renowned ex-Pierrot vocalist, brought a gush of cheering, and guitarist Karyu led off into the first song, Umbilical cord.

Things heated up with RIPOUTBREAK, regardless of which band they had come to see that day.

Both Karyu and Giru carried high energy throughout the set, whether they were strumming their guitars or lending their voices as backup. The visuals playing on video–ranging from dripping candles and bible passages, to scrolling computer code–meshed perfectly with the music for an immersive live experience. Given their performance, it would be hard to imagine an Angelo show as anything less than great.

The most peculiar opening of the day took place for Royz’s set: sans SE, the band entered in normal lighting with no particular staging, gathered in the middle of the stage for a huddle, and shouted together before dispersing to their respective spaces. It was hard to tell if this was an artistic choice or the result of technical limitations, but such an entrance felt the most down-to-earth of any we saw at the event.

After vocalist Subaru’s brief introduction, the audience was swept up into Emotions Energetic as ever, guitarist Kuina and bassist Koudai bounced along to the beat and whipped up the crowd’s excitement with a great guitar solo and a lot of action.

Playing just two acts after Versailles, the inclusion of LILIA — a song with an elegant, tanbi-kei sound — was right on the mark. The intense drumming by Tomoya never faltered, easily bumping this song up to, arguably, the highlight of the set.

Royz-branded penlights were broken out for ANTITHESIS (though attendees were encouraged to just wave their hands if they didn’t have one), and THE BEGINNING actually became the end of the set list. After they finished, Subaru enthusiastically addressed the audience once more: “Let’s rock again sometime! Visual kei is the best!!”

Day 1 of Visual Japan Summit featured a lot of visual kei predecessors like LADIES’ ROOM, Kamaitachi, and more. Day 3 attendees were also lucky enough to get a blast from the past with the rocking 80’s sound of THE SLUT BANKS. The heavy bass of TOY kicked off their set, TUSK‘s unique voice throwing the audience back in time. In fact, 2016 marks the band’s 20th anniversary.

ROCK BABY was definitely a stand out tune in the set. TUSK ran and jumped across the stage to the catchy tune. the audience was treated to a classic guitar solo by Sandaime ACE DRIVER. The pace picked up with Pandemic Dance before they finally closed out with NoisyLove. TUSK shouted one last “Rock’n roll!” to the audience before exiting the stage.

Kiyoharu got liftoff in the early days of visual kei as the frontman of the legendary band Kuroyume, and is still without a doubt a living, breathing legend of a person. The crowd swelled to see his solo appearance at the festival, which opened with a very simple stage setting: a chair with a small, round table full of drinks before it, and a single, conceptual light behind it which looked like a streetlamp.

The musician himself entered with a comfortable-looking poncho and carrying an e-cigarette and a guitar. Without speaking a word, he took a seat with the guitar across his lap and jammed for a few seconds, then gave a brief introduction. Then he (and his backup guitarists) went straight into an acoustic version of the popular SADS song Boukyaku no Sora with the crowd going wild the moment the tune could be heard.

Over the course of the set, Kiyoharu set his guitar and poncho aside and ended up on his feet, occasionally hanging onto the light post. His movements were very calm and controlled — swaying, reaching out, gazing up, every subtle bit of his performance did that much more to captivate his audience.

Red lighting washed the stage with a spotlight on Kiyoharu during the emotional performance of Kuroyume’s Alone, the highlight of the set. No song better demonstrated Kiyoharu’s ability to dictate an audience’s emotions as his voice grew passionate or saddening to suit the music. The intriguing, expert performance was not only a welcome rest from the intensity of the other acts, but a moving experience for attendees as well.

The members of heidi. took the Visual Stage in a burst of energy, bassist KOHSUKE practically running on stage. They got off to a jumping start with Utakata. Strobe lights flashed when it was time for NAO’s brilliant guitar solo, and the song ended with a tide of cheers from fans. “Thank you all for coming to see us at Visual Japan Summit! Let’s make it a fun day!” vocalist YOSHIHIKO said before transitioning into Sakura Underground.

The energy picked up even further for Omae-san, a song with a few death growls, moshing, and headbanging mixed in. heidi. chose to end their short but strong set with Glide, an upbeat ballad.

A drum-and-bass-heavy SE cued DEZERT with the members back-lit on stage to give the band an imposing, silhouetted appearance. The attention-grabbing Ohayou opened their set featuring Chiaki’s heavy vocals which effortlessly escalated into growls when needed. Following a quick, simple MC — “Hello! Hello! Hello! We’re grateful to be here!” — the arena was flung into the violence encapsulated by the track Satsui. Chiaki demanded audience members raise their hands and press closer to the stage.

Chiaki then spent a good half of the next song in the gap in front of the stage rather than on it, and followed up by climbing the railing in the camera pit, screaming and singing from his perch during Houchou no Tadashii Tsukaikata ~Shuusoku-hen~. With the vocalist absent from the stage, guitarist Miyako and bassist SaZ had the spotlight, but kept a gap in the center consistently open for Chiaki’s (unlikely) return.

DEZERT brought plenty of attitude to the festival with its unforgiving, live house-like performance, and Chiaki’s powerful presence and ruthless demands for crowd participation stood out in particular.

The crowd swelled in anticipation of hide with Spread Beaver, appearing for the first time since the hide memorial summit in 2008. GEORGE, Tatsurou, and Ryutarou (Plastic Tree) gave a brief introduction before the band did the rest themselves: the set kicked off with old backstage footage of the band together, hide included, set to the “Spread Beaver” SE. The members were announced in video in order — Joe, I.N.A., D.I.E, K.A.Z, Chirolyn, Kiyoshi, and hide — before launching into Rocket Dive, one of their most memorable songs.

In hide’s place stood his iconic yellow guitar at center stage, with plenty of video and audio footage of the frontman playing right along with his outlandishly-dressed band. Even with the band’s playful stage antics, such as Chirolyn‘s kicks and Kiyoshi’s high energy jamming, it was hard to look anywhere but the screen to watch the artist many have never had the chance to see on stage.

GOOD BYE opened with Yoshiki taking over on piano, with only hide’s vocals accompanying him. Here, the video changed to a slideshow of hide’s old photos that was enough to bring some fans to tears. Yoshiki expressed his appreciation after the performance: “Thank you so, so much for continuing to support hide for so long. Thanks to you and everyone in Spread Beaver, it’s like he’s still living with us. I’m very grateful.”

The upbeat Pink Spider brought the tension level up once again and Yoshiki took up that yellow guitar to join in for another round. DOUBT and DICE cranked up the volume, and ever free brought X JAPAN’s Pata on stage partway through.

Chirolyn cued hide on screen to announce the final song, and TELL ME began with a bang of confetti. After pouring their all into the last performance, the band reluctantly cleared off the stage — with Kiyoshi hurling his guitar aside with as much intensity as he’d performed.

Kameleo is something of a dance-group visual kei band with a style of showmanship a little removed — refreshingly — from many of their contemporaries. The members entered in masks and tossed light-up items into the crowd, even though many attendees near the stage were already decked out with glow rings and bracelets. Entertainingly, the masks stayed on for the duration of the first song.

During Unmei Kaika Disco, vocalist Hikaru introduced the members of the band before guitarist Daisuke treated the crowd to a nice solo. NEET-hime brought curious backup dancers on stage: a girl in a full-head anime character mask, and a pizza delivery man doing furitsuke with a pizza box. Male dancers with pompoms also made an appearance later in the set, ensuring that there was always something fun to watch on stage.

Hikaru’s MC stood out among MCs of the evening: after calling out to attendees on the opposite end of the arena, far from their stage, he encouraged everyone to shout where they had traveled from, and then asked anyone who had never seen Kameleo to cheer. A surprising number of people humored him and cheered; Hikaru’s response was, “It’s almost like we’re popular!” After spending the rest of the MC giving away Yoshiki-brand curry, the band wrapped up their set with another upbeat song.

Kameleo brought humor to the stage and lightened the atmosphere for not only their fans, but also for the many attendees who were watching them for the first time. Fittingly, they wrapped up their set time by pretending to start a fifth song, but abruptly stopped, said goodbye, and took their leave.

Following Kameleo’s set, SID took the Summit Stage for the band’s first show in nearly ten months. They kicked off with Monochrome no Kiss, green lights and strong bass coloring the venue. Despite not leaving the center of the stage much, vocalist Mao expressed emotion and music through the movement of his arms. cosmetic and Toge to Neko offered a more jazzy vibe to their set. Bassist AKi drew used his area of the stage well, grabbing attention from the crowd. A red spotlight shone on Mao as he sang the last lyrics.

In Mao’s MC, he talked about how he was thankful and a bit embarrassed that their first show in ten months was at Visual Japan Summit with so many of his mentors watching. Uso and the ultra-popular Mousou Nikki followed. The audience sang along for Dear Tokyo, and Mao declared “Visual kei is awesome!” They closed out their set with Genun, the whole audience jumping along.

When this unlikely but amazing collaboration was announced just days before Visual Japan Summit took place, we think it’s safe to say that no one knew what to expect. Between stage setups, the only thing on the Summit Stage was YOSHIKI’s crystal piano.

YOSHIKI and HYDE took the stage in simple black clothing. YOSHIKI took his seat at the piano while HYDE stood in front of the piano, only holding a microphone. YOSHIKI began playing the melody of a popular L’Arc~en~Ciel song, MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM. HYDE sang with only the piano as accompaniment, his voice falling and rising with practiced control. The final chorus, “yume wo egaku yo,” was sung by the entire audience of 35,000 people for over a minute before the song came to a gentle close.

The legendary pair paused to thank each other, talk about the collaboration for a moment, and take a selfie together on stage. Then, they treated the audience to one more song: Say Anything by X JAPAN. YOSHIKI’s skillful playing and HYDE’s unique voice made for an unexpectedly enchanting combination. The two-song set was the stuff of dreams.

After members took the stage to a horn-heavy SE, R-Shitei took over in costumes akin to Japanese schoolboy uniforms and a style that harkened back to Showa-era Japan. The sound of a cued the beginning of their set with Gokusai Melancholy, during which vocalist Mamo broke out a megaphone and led the audience in saluting.

Kokuritsu Shounen – National Kid started out with an enthusiastic mosh pit and delivered an enjoyable guitar solo by Z, and Yanderu Kanojo saw Mamo on guitar and a great bass line from Nana.

The final song, THE Hainingen, proved to be surprisingly heavy and included death-voice vocals and guttural backing vocals. White lighting flickered in time over the crowd, immersed in headbanging. With the chorus came a catchier melody, however, much like the rest of songs in the set, which was very cohesive by the end.

R-Shitei’s set was both and neither heavy or upbeat; their set struck a good middle ground that anyone could enjoy.

GLAY’s immense popularity was greeted with cheering that was so deafening it just might have been the loudest of the night. Vocalist Teru started out on guitar at center stage for the opening song, DEATHTOPIA, and was greeted by a sea of light sticks in the audience. Smoke columns shot up for Scoop, and the audience was particularly excited for Freeze My Love.

After Chouonsoku Destiny, Teru took the mic. “Everyone having fun?” he asked the massive crowd that gathered to see GLAY. He talked about how X JAPAN was the band that helped give them their big break 21 years ago. Then they performed a cover of X JAPAN’s Joker, where hide with Spread Beaver’s Die joined on keyboard and guitarist HISASHI nailed the guitar solo. Die stayed on for the next two songs. GLAY ended their set with fan favorite Yuuwaku, going out in a cloud of smoke.

LM.C was the last band to take the Japan Stage for Day Two, but they were definitely not an act to miss. They took the stage with a beat akin to “We Will Rock You,” strange synth noises playing as members took the stage. They kicked off with DOUBLE DRAGON, drawing a chorus of “Woah, woah” from the audience.

Maya took a moment to thank everyone who came to see them despite being sandwiched between visual kei giants GLAY and X JAPAN. They felt like they didn’t deserve it. Their fans believed otherwise, giving their all for OH MY JULIET., MOGURA, and Chameleon Dance.

Before DREAMscape, Maya took the mic once more. He thanked the audience again for the warm welcome and told a heartwarming story from when he was in junior high school and a little on the chubby side. One day in Harajuku, he saw a beautiful older woman who had an X JAPAN bag that he couldn’t find for sale anywhere. He plucked up the courage to ask her where she bought it and she told him very kindly where to find it. He was grateful that he could find someone so thoughtful, and that made him want to start his own band that had fans just as caring as that older woman. “If you’re watching us right now, let me know!” he said.

LM.C closed their set with the popular PUNKY♥HEART, and when it was all over, Maya told the audience he was glad he decided to become a visual kei artist, and asked everyone to jump with them.

With the event running behind, X JAPAN’s set started about an hour after its scheduled time, but the wait is always worthwhile for a legendary band. Their SE consisted of the “epic”-sounding Miracle with clips from many of the overseas tours the band played over the last few years — an introduction that was strikingly similar to, if not the same as, their opening for LUNATIC FEST in 2015. Still, fans were pumped from the outset and JADE was greeted with an eruption of cheers.

From JADE’s pyrotechnics we were carried into the concert favorite Rusty Nail, with the crowd enticed to sing half of one of the choruses, frontman Toshi running the left-hand catwalk in the meantime. Kurenai was the standout song of Day Two, Toshi shouting “Kurenai da!!” before the audience and band burst into action. Born to be Free featured fire and lasers, the crowd was showered with confetti for X, and the three disco balls dangling from the ceiling of Makuhari Messe lit up for Endless Rain.

SUGIZO‘s violin solo led into Art of Life, featuring YOSHIKI on both piano and drums. The X JAPAN epic closed out the set for Day Two, and when the band exited the stage, the anticipation built once more for the Muteki Band to come.

Much like the first evening’s final act, the “peerless band” closed out day 2 with members from every band on stage (down Kameleo and Grieva). The members contributing to the act were Teru (GLAY), Mao (Sid), Toshi (X JAPAN), Taka (defspiral), Maya (LM.C), Ryutarou (Plastic Tree), Shou (A9), and Sono (Matenrou Opera) on vocals; Sugizo (LUNA SEA), Pata (X JAPAN), Takuro (GLAY), Hisashi (GLAY), and Aiji (LM.C) on guitar; Heath (X JAPAN) and Chirolyn (hide with Spread Beaver) on bass; and JOE (hide with Spread Beaver) on drums.

The set was kept to two short, wild Sex Pistols covers — Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen. The significance of this selection goes all the way back to Yoshiki’s wild label events, called Extasy Summit, held in the late 1980s and early 1990s, where appearing bands began the tradition of closing out the night with — you guessed it — Sex Pistols cover songs under the banner of “Muteki Band.”

Emcees Tatsuro (MUCC) and George (LADIES ROOM) appeared on the Visual Stage to introduce the first band of Day 2, VALS. VALS is best known as the visual kei/dance hybrid project produced by SID’s Mao. The mix was as interesting as you’d expect; they kicked off with Silhouette. The music sounded not too far off from a traditional poppy visual kei tune, especially with vocalist Rio’s singing style. However, it was the synchronized and energetic choreography of KEIN and Nao10 kept one’s eyes glued to the stage. They followed it up with the jazzier Tsukiakari, and closed out with deuce, an intense tune that had a little rap thrown in by the dancing duo.

ASH DA HERO was the first band to warm up the Japan Stage of Day 2. They’re an act that arguably straddles the boundary between visual kei and non-visual kei, but they drew a sizeable crowd nonetheless. You Gotta Power opened their set, heavy and hard. Their set quickly picked up the pace with WAKE UP ROCK AND ROLL BAND, where the audience clapped, the instrumentalists broke into a two-step dance, and vocalist ASH got a little too enthusiastic with his tambourine and ended up breaking it.

HERO IS BACK 2 sounded something more akin to traditional visual kei. He asked the audience to hold up their middle finger in solidarity and told the audience to remember them. After their high-energy set closed out with Hankou Seimei and HELLO NO FUTURE, we’re sure most of the attendees at VJS for that set will remember them.

Setlist01. You Gotta Power
02. WAKE UP ROCK AND ROLL BAND
03. HERO IS BACK 2
04. 反抗声明 (Hankou Seimei)
05. HELLO NO FUTURE

Our first taste of the visual kei sound that most of us are accustomed to came with FEST VAINQUEUR. HAL’s shocking red hair and leopard print costume, along with the other members’ equally colorful looks, screamed visual. In tribute to X JAPAN’s hide, they had a replica hide guitar placed on stage, yellow with red hearts. FEST opened their set with Valencia to Virginia – energetic, bright, and shout-y. When the song was finished, HAL told he audience he was excited and proud to play at VJS and that it was their first time ever playing at Makuhari Messe.

Bikanbana and Gendaiteki Giwaku Toshi’DOUBT followed in the set, giving VJS attendees a taste of FEST’s Japanese-inspired musical style along with catchy guitar solos and on-point fan furitsuke. The curtain closed on FEST’s set with NANIWA SAMBA.

The first hard-hitting deathvoice-packed band to take the stage on day two, Grieva brought the atmosphere of a small Tokyo live house show to the hall with their theatrics. From their costumes to their sound, to their stage presence, the five-member unit put on a performance with a different kind of impact from most other bands of the morning.

Vocalist Kyouki entered only after the other four had taken their places. The set list started with a powerful rendition of Jiko Seishin Satsugai Suishinkai, during which the crowd was riled into screaming echoes of “Korose! Korose! Korose! (Kill! Kill! Kill!)” after Kyouki. Much of their set — including the opening song — was reminiscent of Dir en grey songs from the late ’90s, a stylistic choice that may have been effective in catching the attention of attendees more familiar with visual kei of that era.

With Grieva’s MC consisting of a few short crowd-riling shouts, the performance stuck to the same strong, dark, goth stage presence throughout without breaking any fourth walls. Shitou‘s wild screaming transitioned smoothly into the final song, Dead(en)D, featuring Haru and Hisame‘s background shouts with Kyouki wildly headbanging from a kneeling position in the center of the stage.

All in all, Grieva’s set had an unapologetic indies feel hard to come by in venues the size of Messe, and offered a little something different amid the big-name acts in attendance.

ALDIOUS is a band not only markedly different from the bands before and after them, but also a rather unique piece of the festival in that they were the only all-female band to appear among the overwhelmingly male lineup. At first glance they group may look like little more than hostesses in fluffy dresses, but their set showed naysayers that their position at the festival was as well-earned as any of the other artists. Their opening song, Kikka, is a power balled which was strategically placed at the beginning of their set list: not only did it give their set list some variation, it also allowed them to gradually rev the crowd up from the start of the set to the end.

Sweet Temptation flipped the atmosphere into that of a rock show, with vocalist Re:NO whipping her long, blonde hair up and down while band mates Sawa and Toki headbanged in opposite circular motions.

Toki remained a highlight throughout the show, thrashing around the stage and spitting water into the crowd like a punk rocker in spite of her glamorous appearance. Dominator closed their set out with galloping double bass drumming by Marina, befitting of the stepdaughter of world-renowned drummer Terry Bozzio.

Even more than the fact that they were the sole female band of the festival, ALDIOUS’ distinct style and sound were what gave this band a unique place among the artist lineup.

The next band to appear on the Japan Stage was a force to be reckoned with. Matenrou Opera is fronted by vocalist Sono, who boasts considerable power behind his melodic tones and practiced vibrato. Keyboardist Ayame is another a stand-out addition to the lineup, and could be seen playing the keytar during this particular set as well. It would be hard to say anything other than that every member of this band is extremely talented and it showed at such an event.

BURNING SOUL led off the set with excellent drumming and a long guitar solo before giving way to a brief MC. Sono explained that if any day was the day for a cover, it was today — and they launched into X JAPAN’s Kurenai, which Matenrou Opera recorded in 2011 on “Crush! -90’s V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs-.”

The set only took a brief turn with an ’80s synth sound for Psychic Paradise, then ended with a bang on PHOENIX, the performance of which becoming of an X JAPAN festival. In the end, even with a modest time slot, it can only be said that Matenrou Opera owned the Japan stage every second that they were on it.

A9 were the first to appear on the big Summit Stage for Day 2. Tatsuro and GEORGE called out the band by asking the audience, “Want to see some handsome men!?” Then the members of A9 took the stage, garbed all in simple white. As Senkou began, the audience began clapping to the beat or waving their official Visual Japan Summit light sticks. Stylish patterns and color graphics appeared on the back screen, creating a visual look that went beyond the members’ costumes or sound.

After SHINING, Show took the mic for an MC. Since a large amount of people in the audience weren’t there exclusively for A9, the talented vocalist took a minute to explain that the band used to be Alice Nine, but now they’re known as A9. He also vowed that though guitarist Hiroto rocked the audience in X Suginami on Day 1, A9 wouldn’t lose to the super copy band. He then handed the microphone to Hiroto. The guitarist said he was grateful to have been able to play on the same stage as his mentors X JAPAN and GLAY, and declared that he would strive to be just as great—maybe even greater—than them one day.

They asked the audience to perform an “A jump” with both arms joined together above fans’ heads (the A9 version of the X jump) during the next song, RAINBOWS. The contrast between its dark, heavy beat and the sudden burst of people performing the A jump was almost comical. A9 closed their set with Shunkashuutou and the beautiful name, leaving the stage in a flurry of applause.

Despite the limited time for each set on the Visual Stage, defspiral made their entrance appropriately dramatic, vocalist TAKA stepping onto the stage platform while back lighting created smoky silhouettes of the members. They opened their set with VOYAGE off their second album. It lured the audience in, dark and mysterious. SILVER ARROW followed, then the crowd got to jumping and clapping with MASQUERADE, where MASATO executed an impressive guitar solo to the giant crowd. Even TAKA did a little dancing on stage.

In their MC, TAKA said he was grateful for the opportunity to be around such wonderful music and friends. With those feelings in mind, defspiral closed out their set with ESTRELLA, a slow ballad from their latest album.

The visual kei community has been pretty excited about THE THIRTEEN since their recent debut – so recent that it’s pretty impressive they scored a spot on the Japan Stage at Visual Japan Summit. When vocalist Mao took the stage, he was holding a handmade, framed version of X JAPAN’s first album. This display of respect and fandom was shown by many of the more recent bands, but this was arguably one of the more unique ones.

THE THIRTEEN’s set opened with LIAR.LIAR., prompting a flurry of headbanging and screams. During the chorus, the audience raised their fists and shouted “Woah!” along with the other members on backing vocals. It was a satisfyingly high-energy way to start the set. CHAINSAW featured some rap-like bits mixed in with a decidedly visual-sounding chorus. 13’s BLOOD kept the audience moving.

“We are THIRTEEN!” Mao shouted to the audience. “We are…” he continued in an attempt to encourage the audience to mimic the X call. Their set closed out with KILLER MAY, a tune in which Mao had a shouting battle with the audience. “Another one of our dreams has been fulfilled!” the vocalist said before leaving the stage.

The second band to appear on the main stage, Plastic Tree took the festival in a whole new direction. Where we were used to hearing high-energy, loud, heavy rock until this point, the veteran band brought an ambient atmosphere to the arena from the moment their SE cued.

Vocalist Ryutarou, looking snug in his long, loose-fitting all-black clothes, introduced the set with a meek, “Plastic Tree is startiiiing,” and the psychedelic song Irogoto began. The mellow vocalist followed the song with a surprisingly energetic shout — “Makuhari!!” which transitioned well into the popular, and more upbeat, Melancholic.

By the time Mime began, Ryutarou had ditched his rhythm guitar role and began dancing around — just a bit, of course. For his endearing MC before the final song, Kuuchuu Blanco, he spoke to the audience again: “Today’s show has been short, but it’s been a really fun time. Are you enjoying it?”

From guitarist Akira’s talented shredding and arpeggio, to bassist Tadashi’s wandering along the catwalk that stretched down his side of the stage, and back to Ryutarou’s occasional slow twirling, Plastic Tree delivered a simultaneously mellow and enthusiastic set. In the end, the band exited on a dramatic note with Kuuchuu Blanco’s ending fade, and left the stage without another word to the crowd.

Could there have been a better way to satisfy the crowd’s bloodlust than by lead singer Hiro being shirtless and covered in blood? Fans and those new to the band certainly took notice. Nocturnal Bloodlust brought a darker (and bloodier) touch to the event, opening with creepy vocals, dark red lighting, and dark fantasy music. Things got heavy with DESPARATE, the crowd starting to headbang.

Not letting the mood drop, Natsu drop-kicked (or kick-drummed) the crowd into Jūsō. Hiro sang with fierce emotion and fierce vocals, showcasing to the crowd his talent for energy and varied vocals. Showing a side of Nocturnal Bloodlust that is a mix of catchy rock and heavy metal, V.I.P. gave the crowd a new flavor to sample. Masa‘s bass brought the song together, breathing fight into the song. Daichi revved up the tempo with his guitar while Cazqui picked wicked solos with his 7 strings. The day couldn’t have been complete without a dose of the heavier side of visual kei and Nocturnal Bloodlust certainly delivered in both performance and appearance.

Setlist
01. DESPARATE
02. 銃創 (Jūsō)
03. V.I.P

BY-SEXUAL

Pulling in a large crowd to the Summit Stage, BY-SEXUAL was not one to disappoint anyone looking for old school Osaka punk rock. Aside from reuniting once before to raise support for the Tohoku earthquake back in 2011, the band hadn’t performed together since the late 90’s. On a blue and purple stage, guitarist Ryo started up the introduction to PSYCHIC DANCE. Fans could finally hear those classic guitar solos performed live in this song and HYSTERIC. CAT’S MOOD brought an upbeat feel to the crowd while still keeping the energy up. Definitely some cool cats.

The sound of trumpets sounded off the start to Okita Souji ha B Cup and the crowd jumped into the catchy rhythm of Den‘s bass. Ryo’s guitar solos here, too, were not to be missed! A surprise to everyone, Glay fans rushed and made their way closer to the stage upon the guest appearance of guitarist Hisashi who amiably joined in BE FREE. The crowd went wild knowing this was a unique performance unlikely to be seen again.

Sho‘s vocals in SO BAD BOY really brought back the standoffish punk feel to the stage, and Ryo and Den got together for a shredding session on stage, guitar breathing into bass and bass breathing into guitar. Fans could really see the unity hadn’t quite left the band, despite the distance in time. Throughout the performance, drummer Nao was as ferocious on the drums as his blue hair was crazy and blue, reminiscent of his classic style. He put in so much effort, strength, and heart into fast punk rock beats that sweat dripped from his face. He ended NON! off strongly, leaving the crowd hyped and punked out.

Gargoyle marked a slight change of pace, as their thrash metal style brand of rock was a contrast to the bands that had gone before them. Opening tracks Kanzen na Doku wo Youkyu Suru and Halleluyah set the pace as the songs were fast and loud and had equally fast lights to match. Halleluyah showed some variation with a nice funky guitar breakdown that led into a blistering solo.

Singer Kiba introduced the band to the crowd by saying that “Next year is our 30th anniversary”, and received a warm round of applause by the fans that were impressed by Gargoyle’s staying power.

Yaban Kairo had poppier vocals and nice harmonies, but was still driven by a frantic guitar line. The band members all gave short MCs to help motivate the crowd and Gargoyle’s final two songs saw things get harder and faster than at any point during the set. Just when it seemed that Shinu koto to Mistuketari had become as heavy as it would get, final song Kage Ou upped the bar and outdid it. Katsuji’s drums set a frantic pace, but it was one that the rest of the band, and the crowd, could keep up with.

Another crowd-pleaser for those who love a heavier sound, lynch. picked up hard and fast where Gargoyle had left off. It was a smooth transition from old school heavy to a modern heavy sound and really emphasized the evolution and core of visual kei. The echo of a piano and heavy guitar notes signaled the start of LAST NITE, and fans went wild with loud cries and threw their hands in the air. Hazuki‘s smooth vocals were a welcome lullaby amidst the heavier and punkier vocals of the event.

Wearing what seemed to be a ninja mask, drummer Asanao significantly changed the tempo of the event with heavy drums for ADORE, while Hazuki showcased his ability for deeper metal vocals with some real power behind them. MIRRORS kept things rocking with guitarists Reo and Yusuke belting out a mad rift.

Things got way heavier with GALLOWS and the crowd couldn’t resist headbanging. A fan favorite that even newcomers could enjoy, the band was really on their game with this song. Some fans headbanged so hard it looked like it might have hurt! Hair was flying through the flashing stage lights. Not as heavy as GALLOWS–but still heavy–pulse_ put the spotlight on bassist Akinori who really brought the unique nu metal feel. Ending with a more recent single, EVOKE certainly evoked the fusion of typical visual kei vocals with metal vocals and served as a well-rounded song overall to unite the genres.

The hall was full for Glay, and the crowd responded with enthusiasm and laughter to singer Teru’s cries of “We are…Glay!” as he took his place on stage. YOU MAY DREAM started Glay’s show with a bang, as smoke shot out across the stage and fireworks exploded. The crowd sang along to the chorus line and the energy in the hall was tangible.

For Dystopia, Teru showed off his guitar skills by starting the song as the sole guitar player, but the rest of the band soon joined in. Glay’s actual guitar players found time to shine in Cho Onsoku Destiny, as Hisashi divided his time between singing backing vocals and covering the wide area of the Summit stage.

Teru spoke about meeting X Japan’s Yoshiki and hide, and this lead into a cover of X Japan’s Joker. The stage was bathed in hide’s iconic colors of yellow and red, and Hisashi and Takuro impressed with fast guitar work and dueling solos. Takuro was especially impressive as he ran all over the stage to the cheers of the crowd.

For Beloved and Glorious, the lyrics of both songs were displayed on the video screens in the hall. Takuro’s acoustic guitar playing that started Beloved wasn’t immediately recognizable as Beloved, but as the song changed the crowd roared their approval. The crowd kept the noise going throughout Glorious as they sang along to the chorus, no doubt helped by the lyrics on screen.

Acid Head began with a solo by Takuro, and that was quickly followed by jets of fire that continued throughout the song. Bass player Jiro roamed the stage as the fire continued to burn through the chorus lines and the song was brought to an impressive end by support drummer Toshi. The final song of Glay’s hour long set was the ever popular Yuuwaku, and from the sleazy bass line from Jiro, to the smoke that again filled the stage, it was a strong way to end a pleasing set.

Tokyo Yankees had a tough slot on the bill as they were sandwiched between two of the headliners – Glay and Luna Sea. Their fans were out in force, however, and the non-fans in the crowd gave them a warm reception as they ripped through their punk tinged set.

Since the death of singer Ume in 2007, the vocals have been shared between the other band members, and bass player Yoshi’s stance as he sang brought to mind memories of the late Lemmy, from Motorhead. Yoshi did the majority of the vocals, but guitarist Nori also sang a few tracks, most notably the second song of the set, Serial Killer. Nori impressed with his rapid riffs and solos, such as in the last song of the set, Hollywood Heartbreaker.

Tokyo Yankees kept a fast, furious and aggressive pace throughout their set. Though they had a difficult position on the timetable, they delivered an impressive and high energy set.

LUNA SEA were fifteen minutes late taking to the stage, but all was forgiven as the hall was bathed in starlight, courtesy of a few strategically placed disco balls. The five members of LUNA SEA were dressed in sharp white as a beautiful piano piece played them on stage, but the calm and tranquil start to the show was soon destroyed by the fierce, hot opener FATE. The fierce pace continued into Deja vu, as pyro exploded and guitarist SUGIZO nailed the first of many impressive solos of the night.

“Let’s go back to Extasy Summit, 24 years ago!” said singer Ryuuichi, before leading the band into PRECIOUS, a song from Luna Sea’s 1991 debut album. The darker sound of FACE TO FACE was matched by an impressive use of the stage, as bass player J’s intro was bathed in red light and occasional bursts of fire that continued throughout the song. This darkness was contrasted by the next song, In Silence, which started with a light acoustic intro from guitarist Inoran.

Ryuuichi advertised LUNA SEA’s forthcoming shows at the Saitama Super Arena and said that LUNA SEA would “make new history”. This was a fitting introduction for Time is Dead, another song from LUNA SEA’s eponymous debut album. Always a live favorite, the crowd in Makuhari loudly sang along with the backing vocals of the chorus lines.

TONIGHT and ROSIER displayed the band’s connection with their fans, as INORAN and SUGIZO asked for more activity and louder cries from the fans and were quickly given them. SUGIZO’s solo before ROSIER was especially effective at gaining a loud reaction from the crowd.

The final song of the set, WISH, began with a coordinated jump from the crowd and the sight of LUNA SEA streamers shooting from the stage to cover the lucky fans down the front. The crowd were in fine voice as they sang along, and the band quieted until only Shinya’s strong and always impressive drumming remained so that the crowd could be heard more clearly.

LUNA SEA’s setlist contained many of their most popular songs, and included several that had been played at Extasy Summit 24 years ago. It was a set designed to please, and from the crowd reaction, it achieved its goal.

A difficult slot to be in, LADIESROOM was the the not-so-calm before the storm of X Japan. Not failing to bring the feel of classic rock, however, the band truly brought out the atmosphere of an 80’s band all about sex and rock’n-roll. With both eat a peach and SEX, SEX & ROCK’N ROLL, vocalist Hyaku got the crowd thinking of the sexual side of rock with wild displays of grabbing his crotch and letting the mic hang between his legs. Everything about his conduct and higher pitched vocals brought the wild 80’s back to the present.

Shoot it!! brought a flavor closer to punk, with the support drummer providing some great beats and showing off his skill by spinning the drumsticks in his hand like it was second nature. Band leader and bassist, George was really tying the band together in GET DOWN. Bringing in the softer side of the 80’s with blue lights, acoustic guitar, and a slow jam, the crowd was swaying side to side. All that was missing in Wonderful Tonight were lighters in the air. The gentle song set the mood for love.

As expected for X Japan, the event area was full of fans, from end to end. Staff asked the crowd to make room, but despite their efforts, the crowd poured event outside, where some unfortunate fans were unable to see the show. Some fans managed to get the crowd riled up, shouting “We are X,” and glow sticks formed an “X” throughout the venue. Further building up the hype was some video from the band’s world tour, showing footage of various concerts and fans across the world, set to the haunting classical tinged Miracle.

As the band walked on stage and the dying seconds of Miracle rang around the venue, the entire crowd threw up “X” signs.The band thanked the overwhelming crowd and asked everyone to keep X in their hearts. The “X”s in the air quickly faded away as JADE began, accompanied by fire and smoke. The fans were eager to join in with the catchy chorus line, and their voices rang out loud and proud as drummer YOSHIKI watched while standing upon his drum stool. It only took a second for the crowd to recognize the opening to Rusty Nail, and when they did a loud roar echoed through the hall. The volume of the roar was only beaten by the volume of the pyro that exploded as the guitars kicked in.

After Rusty Nail came the first of a few MCs that were scattered through the set. YOSHIKI had left his drum kit and was seated at his signature crystal piano, as he welcomed the crowd to Visual Japan Summit. He started playing the piano, and then paused so that he could remove his neck brace, much to the warm laughter of both himself and the crowd. YOSHIKI’s piano led into the emotion filled Forever Love, and was dominated by Toshi’s clear and strong voice.

Kurenai started with the customary slow, solo guitar intro, and the guitar playing came courtesy of a video of hide, that played on the large screen behind YOSHIKI’s drum kit. Toshi was facing the video screen as he sang, and he became so overcome with emotion at the sight of hide on the screen, that he couldn’t continue singing. Luckily, the fans came to the rescue and were the voice that Toshi couldn’t be at that time. When the rest of the band kicked in, streamers shot out across the lucky fans in the first few rows and Toshi was able to recover and continue.

YOSHIKI spoke about the show that day and thanked the other artists and the fans for making it such a good show, although he saved a few good-natured criticisms for X Suginami. He also reminisced on the 25 years as a band. “Who here is 23 years old?” YOSHIKI asked. “You guys weren’t born when we did Extasy Summit!” YOSHIKI also took the time to welcome Pata back to the stage, after the guitarist’s illness earlier this year forced the band to postpone some concerts and delay the release of their long awaited new album.

YOSHIKI was seated at the piano again, ready to play the intro that would lead into Born to be Free, but he forgot that he still had Toshi’s mic. He simplified the piano part so that he could play it one handed as he gave the mic back to Toshi, but then started talking again so that he could promote X Japan’s documentary, “We Are X”. After a short playfight between the two old school friends, Toshi had his mic back and X Japan burned their way through Born to be Free, both figuratively and literally thanks to the fire bursts on stage.

X saw the entire crowd jump into the air and make the X sign with their arms, as the tone on the stage turned playful. Toshi teased the cameras, and SUGIZO stood behind YOSHIKI and teased the drummer as they ripped through X Japan’s signature song. The song paused towards the end and two memorial pictures were displayed on the side screens, in memory of Taiji and hide. YOSHIKI prowled around the stage shouting “we are…!” as Toshi took his seat at the drums. After each band member had also shouted “we are…!” to the crowd, YOSHIKI went back to his drum kit and saw out the rest of the song from up high as his drum kit was raised high into the air.

X Japan left the stage, but the break was short as World Anthem played them back on stage. YOSHIKI was back on piano and a montage of X Japan as they had appeared through the years since their debut was played on the back screen as ENDLESS RAIN flowed through the hall. The music faded away until only YOSHIKI’s piano remained as the crowd sang, and then even the piano disappeared as the crowd kept on singing. The last song of the set was ART OF LIFE. It started with more fireworks, and was an apt end to X Japan’s long performance.

X Japan took their time leaving the stage, as they made sure to say goodbye to the fans and to thank them. SUGIZO took many selfies with the crowd, several of which he posted to his social media accounts, and a professional photographer took a shot of the band with the crowd. He also bowed deeply, giving his love and gratitude to the fans. X Japan’s set started late and ran late, so unfortunately some people had to leave before it was finished, but timing issues aside, X Japan delivered a powerful show.

Welcoming lovers of visual kei and X Japan was X…SUGINAMI! The “fake” X Japan (who jokingly asked fans to look carefully to tell the difference), X-SUGINAMI brought the classic visual kei feel and anticipation to the early morning crowd. Despite it being nine in the morning, fans woke up to some of their favorite songs blasting on stage. Pulling the crowd into the chant “We are X,” vocalist Dancho of NoGod hyped up the crowd dressed as Toshi with his crazy gravity-defying hair and providing the vocals for a proper tribute that was sure to make X proud.

Guitarists Miya of MUCC and Yuu of MERRY shed some mad riffs together as they opened with BLUE BLOOD. The familiar tune caught the crowd’s enthusiasm and everyone cheered. Knocking some beats into the song, drummer Daisuke (ROACH) picked up the pace of a slow morning. Bassist Akane (PLINK?) added some feminine flair to the group with her dedicated bass pulling the ensemble together.

Dancho’s deep voice brought a unique flare to VANISHING LOVE, and the last song X was a fitting end. The crowd jumped along with the song, crossing their arms into an x and passionately shouting “X!” X-SUGINAMI knew what they were doing when it came to raising the hype and (blue) blood in the fans waiting for X Japan. Definitely a fitting opening to a great show.

Vocalist LEONEIL brought the visual kei look to life with a glam style including feather sleeves. Opening with the more modern visual kei electronic L’Abime -dizzy disco-, his deep voice commanded the crowd’s attention. Purple lighting brought a sensual atmosphere, and LEONEIL added this to fan-favorite LOVE AGAIN by brandishing a whip. A little early in the morning for the racy performance, but that didn’t stop guitarist YUTO from adding to this dark mystique in コズミック・ナイト (Cosmic Night) with extraordinary guitar skills.

And in their last song, DEAD OR DANCE, the crowd got hyped back up with heavier guitar chords by YUTO, who picked up the pace and the anticipation for this great event. The deep colors of the red and blue stage helped set the mood for the day. When their elegant performance was over, they gracefully walked off stage, fans cheering in admiration.

A lengthy introduction video played and explained to the crowd that Speed of Lights are a group of astronauts that are on a mission to search space. As with all space missions, the concert began with a 10 second countdown, but the countdown was nearly aborted several times as the fans, or ‘crew’ as Speed of Lights call them, were not being loud enough. When the volume in the hall was sufficient, the band took to the stage in full astronaut outfits and helmets covering their faces. Visual Japan Summit was only the band’s second concert, or ‘mission’, but the band showed no nerves.

Commander/vocalist Cutt was discovered by X Japan’s hide back in 1991 and has had a long solo career, as well as working with bands shame and ORCA, so despite the young life of the band he’s no stranger to performing. His vocals were filtered through a vocoder, but it suits the bouncy sound of the songs and the astronaut gimmick.

Speed of Lights showed a variety to their music in WARP, as Payload Specialist/keyboard player SHOKO delivered a piano solo that would not have sounded out of place in a jazz club. The final song of the set, CARRY ON, saw the crowd jumping along and enjoying the music. If Speed of Lights set out to introduce themselves to a wider audience, then they can consider it mission accomplished.

More on the metal side of the spectrum, BEAST was maybe too much metal for the early morning crowd. A dark red stage and vocalist G.B.B. screaming into the introduction song METRO. Newcomers to the band got a taste of the metal and hip-hop fusion that really made this band stand out from the others. However, when he wasn’t screaming or rapping, BEAST’s vocalist still showed visual kei roots in classic and clear vocals familiar to the visual kei genre. Fans near the stage were also lucky enough to get a close-up of his tattooed torso when he fanned his shirt open during Chemical for that sensual mode.

Both guitarist NAGANO and bassist AKILLA could be seen headbanging their long hair to SIS and LR-7. Heavier songs got G.B.B. into a frenzy, and around the time Lynch was playing, he fell to the floor screaming into his mic, frantically rolling around as if attacked by his demons. With guttural screams into the mic, G.B.B. enticed the crowd to scream along after him. Ending with a loud police siren, the rambunctious gang left the stage.

The stage was a haze of green light as Anli Pollicino made their entrance. Their first song, Time, was a slow start to the show, but it soon became louder and lively, much to the delight of the crowd assembled in front of the Visual stage. Second song Labyrinth saw some tight guitar work from guitarists Takumi and Yo-1, and there was also an excellent solo from Takumi to excite the crowd.

Vocalist Shindy dropped his mic during Slave Machine, but it was only a momentary blip as he quickly recovered and carried on as it if hadn’t happened. The catchy melody from Shindy was neatly backed up by darker, growled vocals from the bass player.

The final song of Anli Pollicino’s short set was Shirayuri Vanessa, a big favorite of the fans in attendance. Anli Pollicino worked hard to get the crowd on their side, not an easy task this early in the day, and it was successful.

With an electronic opening with drums, CLØWD finally walked on the Japan Stage to the bright cheer of many fans. Tugging at the fans’ longing for some of their favorite songs, they first stalled with piano and dramatic drums, then diving into the poppy beat of Noroshi. Vocalist Kou brought bright, heavy, and hip-hop vocals to the crowd, and a unique touch that fans love. Toning things down with Tomorrowland, Kou rapped along to the hip beat of Tatsuru‘s drums.

Ryouhei‘s bass in RUDENESS RESORT got the crowd moving their bodies and waving their hands side to side. Ending with #Natsu no Binetsu, high energy from the stage transferred to the crowd–everyone was jumping to the beat. Iori and Touma really picked up the pace as they picked their guitars. Leaving on that high note and high energy set the mode of the event, and both fans and the crowd were left feeling excited for what the rest of the day held.

Attracting a large crowd, fans anxiously awaited the appearance of this band. Raising their anticipation first, a video showcasing an expo in Paris played and gave fans an idea how far and wide Psycho le Cému is loved. Keeping with a mixture of RPG and theater, the introduction of the band members consisted of a character select. Oiran AYA, Hotokesama Lida, parallel traveler DAISHI, punk monster seek, and thief prince Yura-sama were all selected and faced a dragon…and won! But against the God character Yoshiki…they didn’t stand a chance.

In order to come back to life, they clapped and danced to BLADE DANCE and Gekiai Merry-go-round, while DAISHI commanded the audience with his clear and crisp vocals. The crowd was also more than ecstatic to join in. Bringing back a classic visual kei feel with a cheerful show, the crowd also lent their ‘power’ with cheers and clapping in sync with the music.

Asking the crowd for power, fans responded and jumped to Ai no Uta and Akiramenai DAYS as various random characters danced on stage. Yura-sama and AYA led the crowd in dancing and clapping, while seek and Lida raised the power by strumming guitar and bass madly. Closing the stage with REMEMBRANCE, everyone could feel the energy and Yura-sama’s drums through both the air and the ground. Fist-pumping into the air, the crowd had a good time and were able to really let lose.

Unlike most of the bands that played before them, HERO’s set didn’t start with a lavish intro or with one of their most popular songs, instead it began with singer Jin politely introducing the band to the many new faces in the crowd. Throughout the set, Jin worked hard to get not only the long standing HERO fans to enjoy the set, but also the audience that didn’t know who they were and were seeing them for the first time. The first song to you… was a good choice, as the crowd that had assembled in front of the Visual stage jumped along with the bouncy opener.

The introductions continued, as Jin advised the crowd to check out the band on YouTube. “Search on YouTube for HERO, that’s H-E-R-O. But, we’re not [SMAP member and actor] Kimura Takuya’s TV drama Hero, we’re the visual kei HERO!” The crowd were reminded that they are indeed the visual kei HERO by a performance of Country Road, a song taken from their most recent album, with guitarist SARSHI’s solo being a definite highlight.

The final song was Soprano, and it was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the crowd. The regular call and response that usually accompanies the song was changed to reflect the special occasion, and the fans in attendance loudly shouted “Visual Summit is awesome!” on Jin’s cue. With one last cry of “Follow us on Twitter!”, HERO left the stage having thoroughly introduced themselves to everyone in the hall.

Daizystripper opened their set with a show of respect, as hide’s iconic yellow and pink guitar was placed before Kazami’s drumkit. The crowd appreciated the gesture, and politely applauded as the first song, STARGAZER began. With only Kazami on piano as backing, Yugiri’s voice rang out around the hall in a clear and impressive way. The rest of the band joined in shortly after, but the simplicity of the songs start was a highlight of Daizystripper’s set.

In contrast to the sombre start, STAY GOLD saw the Daizystripper fans in attendance explode into action and the area in front of the JAPAN stage became a sea of swinging towels. Mayu’s guitar solo was on target, as he playfully interacted with Yugiri.

Mayu and rhythm guitarist Nao’s guitar harmonies and duelling solos powered the final song of the set, SUMMER VACATION. Before leaving the stage Yugiri advertised Daizystripper’s forthcoming show at Tokyo Dome City and said “Thank you for your music, hide.”

Setlist
01. STARGAZER
02. STAY GOLD
03. SUMMER VACATION

Kamaitachi

The first of the lineup to truly bring back the feel of the 80’s and 90’s, Kamaitachi did not disappoint fans looking for that classic punk rock feel. Aside from a one-day 30th anniversary live, there had not been a reunion of the group since 1991 until this event. Fans rejoiced at the chance to catch this rare gathering. After opening with a neon stage, a haunting woman’s voice, 80’s techno, and an air horn, Kenzi (red pigtails and all) eventually welcomed the crowd with Ka MARCH and the punk rock beats of the drums picking up the energy of the crowd even further. Vocalist Sceana brought energetic punk vocals to the stage that brought a unique flavor and a classic feel to the event.

With the help of guitarist Kazzy and bassist MOGWAI, things got a little heavier with Jiyū no Megami, before calming down to the more romantic and gengtle I LOVE YOU. After bringing down the mood to a calmer state, the band couldn’t just leave it like that. With a strong pace and beat, KILL YOURSELF brought the crowd back to life and got them shouting and headbanging.

Following the hard rock feel of Kamaitachi, UNiTE brought a completely different vibe and sound to the stage. Vocalist Yui welcomed fans and the crowd to the show, and the band not only pulled in a crowd, they dressed rather professionally with a formal black and white look–quite the contrast from the rockers before them. It truly helped the crowd see the vast variation of visual kei–sound-wise, fashion-wise–and showed quite an evolution of the genre. Immediately jumping into the sound of small world order, Yui got the crowd clapping and jumping energetically. Mio, with his bob-cut, rocked the stage on his guitar in the faster pace of ice.

Sana got a little crazier on the drums, Yui’s vocals became a bit darker, and the crowd started to head-bang to Love_Duck_Core_Nothing. The song brought out a new flavor to the band that newcomers were just learning and really built up the energy in the atmosphere. Despite being a large crowd, most were in sync with their cheers and hands in the air. Moving on to their single Jupiter that was released earlier this year, Haku‘s bass brought some low notes to keep the crowd in sync as they jumped and waved their hands. LiN‘s guitar solos brought everything together for a grand show that didn’t disappoint fans and likely garnered the group some new followers. All in all, UNiTE delivered their usual upbeat sound and uplifted the mood, leaving everyone refreshed and ready for the next half of bands.

In 2004, a band named Alice Nine formed. Through a few albums, many more singles, and countless shows both in Japan and overseas, Alice Nine (now A9) has seen it all. They chose to celebrate their 12th anniversary in a very special way by playing a set full of songs from their first full year as a band (2004-2005).

That show took place on August 28th at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST in Tokyo. Even after announcing the addition of second floor seating, the show was completely sold out.

The show began with a video that played a clip from each year in their career so far. As the years went back, the excited screams from fans grew louder. When the screen showed a clip from 2004, the screen parted to reveal the members in their glamorous Japanese-style costumes. Banners draped the stage to complete the wa atmosphere.

The set opened with Heisei Juunana-nen Shichigatsu Nanoka and Hana Ichi Monme. Gradation followed, slightly more melancholy, with a guitar solo from Tora. After Meiji, Show introduced each member by having the audience call each member’s name on the beat.

Akai Kazaguruma opened with funky acoustic guitar and the audience clapping to the beat. At the end, the audience joined hands with one another and sang the chorus a cappella, every corner of STUDIO COAST echoing with nostalgia.

The setlist also featured a song that hadn’t been played in 11 years: Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari. The energy picked up with the jazzy overtones and rocking Tora guitar solo with Haikara Naru Rondo. Show called for more energy from the fans and they delivered as they rounded off their set with Ageha and Yami ni Chiru Sakura.

The audience ceaselessly called for an encore. The members of A9 came back onstage to play two more songs, Shunkashuutou and Gin no Tsuki, Kuroi Hoshi. They were both songs that conveyed A9’s signature catchy sound.

The second encore featured another song that hadn’t been played in 11 years. “What do you think it is?” Show asked the audience. They guessed correctly: Souen-Na mo Naki Kimi e-, the song that gave the 12th anniversary live its name.

Next was Kousai Stripe, followed by the frenzy-inducing G3, which featured gyakudai from the audience and Hiroto diving into the audience (twice!).

Show decreed in the MC that he wanted to create A9’s future together using the power that the fans give to the band.
It was the perfect segue into the closing song of the set, Time Machine, the first song that A9 wrote together. And so the 12th anniversary live came to an end in the most appropriately nostalgic way possible.